Texas mall shooter Mauricio Garcia, 33, was a security guard who was removed from the Army in 2008 over mental health concerns, it has been revealed. Neo-Nazi Garcia, who was living at a Budget Inn in Texas, opened fire at customers with an AR-15 rifle outside the H&M store at Allen Premium Outlets on Saturday afternoon, killing eight people and injuring five more.
He also reportedly took proficiency training in firearms in 2015 and held multiple jobs before his license expired. Garcia was killed by a police officer who heard the gunshot while he was at the scene attending to another incident.
Shocking Revelations
Although the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, law enforcement officials claim that Garcia's now-deleted social media profiles reveal his neo-Nazi interests. He served in the military in 2008, but according to ABC 30 Dallas, he was discharged due to mental health issues.
The US Army didn't provide further details related to Garcia's work and eventual removal. According to neighbors, they believe Garcia was employed as a security guard. However, it's unclear whether he held a job at the mall or another establishment.
According to records, Garcia received proficiency training in firearms in 2015 and completed additional firearms training in 2018. DPS, which manages the database, immediately disqualifies applicants who have committed specific violent offenses.
According to CNN, he had a Texas security guard license that was valid from 2016 until 2020, but it has already expired.
The Washington Post claims that a patch the shooter was sporting on his chest pointed to his extreme ideas, although no motive has been officially revealed as of now.
The patch read 'RWDS' which is an acronym for 'Right Wing Death Squads.'
This comes after new audio revealed how a hero cop made a frantic phone call asking his colleagues to join him on the scene, radioing: "I need everybody I got."
Mystery Continues
Additionally, survivors have recalled stories of being saved by a hero shop employee who locked them in a toilet closet, before being killed themselves.
One of the survivors Racquel Lee said that she started her shopping trip by pulling up to the same H&M store where Garcia would show up in his own car seconds later and start shooting. Shoppers began running like crazy from the hail of gunfire, and Lee said that it "sounded like a warzone."
The nameless store employee gathered a panicked Lee and 12 others, including a few kids, and sheltered them inside the store's toilet closet during the ensuing mayhem.
The worker then left the group, while Lee was led out by police a little while later.
On her way out, Lee recounted noticing the same store employee who had hidden her just an hour earlier among the crowd of "bullets and bodies" outside.
The cop fearlessly advanced on the active gunman, who was carrying 60 bullets and had already shot over a dozen people.
A few minutes later, a different person on the radio is heard saying, "We got victims. I require an ambulance." Moments later Garcia was shot by the hero cop.
Besides the AR-15 rifle, which he used to carry out the massacre, more weapons and ammunition were found in Garcia's car, a source told NBC News. Garcia's neighbors told WFAA that although he regularly parked his gray Charger in front of his parents' home, neither they nor Garcia had been seen in recent weeks.
A gray vehicle was found at the scene of the massacre on Saturday. A man exited the car while wearing black military gear and brandishing an AR-15-style rifle before opening fire on customers in Allen, which is located about 25 minutes north of Dallas.
Garcia's neighbors said that they had never seen him carrying a firearm at his parent's home and that they had no memories of him being involved in any incidents.
Six of those killed in the incident outside the mall were dead on the scene. According to Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd, nine more victims were taken to the hospital, where two eventually died from their injuries.
According to officials, the age of the injured varied from 5 to 61. Three patients were believed to be in fair condition, while three others were still described as being in serious condition.
