According to two senior law enforcement officials who spoke to FOX3, the neo-Nazi sympathizer allegedly responsible for killing at least eight people and injuring several others in a shootout at a Dallas-area mall on Saturday has was identified as 33 years old. Mauricio Garcia.
After the violent incident took place, Garcia was confronted and killed by a police officer who happened to be present at the Allen Premium Outlets, located approximately 25 miles north of Dallas.
According to one of the senior law enforcement officials, Dallas resident Mauricio Garcia was equipped with a tactical vest and armed with a rifle and a handgun during the shooting at the mall.
In addition, other weapons and ammunition were discovered in his car.
The same official further said that Garcia had multiple social media accounts and seemed drawn to neo-Nazi and white supremacist material.
Additionally, at the time of his death, Garcia wore a patch with a right-wing acronym on his chest.
However, officials stressed that it was premature to assign a motive for the mass shooting as the investigation is still in its early stages.
The incident marked the second deadliest mass shooting in the United States this year and the second to take place in Texas in just over a week.
A neighbor of the suspect, who wished to be identified only as Julie, said she would observe Garcia’s daily routine of getting to and from work at the same time each day.
Julie recalled that if Mauricio Garcia tried to recognize them, he seemed somewhat distant and conversation with him was difficult. She was shocked to learn that Garcia was responsible for the mall shooting.
“I was completely stunned,” she said. Meanwhile, Gilda Bailey, another neighbor, discovered three police cars parked outside Garcia’s residence on her way home.
She observed that law enforcement officials were not allowing the shooter’s family members to enter the premises and later witnessed the FBI remove some items from Garcia’s home.
Bailey expressed confusion as to what could have caused Garcia to commit such a heinous act.
Living near a suspected mass murderer was disturbing to another neighbour, who said the thought of living a few houses away from someone capable of such a crime could be unsettling and make you more cautious.
“I don’t understand why anyone would want to shoot innocent people for any reason,” said Moises Carreon, 52.