GRAPHIC VIDEOS: Man Identified as Suspect in Deadly Shooting at Allen
Authorities have identified the man accused of killing eight people and injuring seven others in a shooting at Allen Premium Outlets as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia from Dallas. Garcia was one of seven people who died at the scene, with two others dying at the hospital. Police discovered multiple weapons, including an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun, at the outlet mall in Allen, a city in Collin County and a northern suburb of Dallas.
Vigils were held outside the mall and at Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church on Sunday evening to honor the victims. Texas Governor Greg Abbott joined thousands of people gathered inside the church, while protesters gathered outside to demand reforms to gun laws.
Medical City Healthcare treated eight of the victims, ranging in age from 5 to 61, with three people remaining in critical condition and four in fair condition. Officials have not identified any of the victims nor given ages, but relatives identified Aishwarya Thatikonda and Christian LaCour, who was a security guard at the mall, as victims.
Videos posted online that appear to have been taken during the shooting show people fleeing in the parking lot as gunshots ring out. One video showed a man getting out of a car and starting shooting. Witnesses described chaos and carnage after the shooting, with Steven Spainhouer finding a child under his mother’s body.
Until recently, Garcia had been living with his parents in northeast Dallas, often wearing a security uniform. Sources told WFAA that Garcia had been in the U.S. Army in 2008 but was removed due to mental health concerns.
The FBI is assisting in the investigation and searched the alleged gunman’s parents’ home and a motel Saturday, asking anyone with video footage from the scene to upload it. Meanwhile, President Biden ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff until sunset Thursday to honor the victims.