TX - Active shooter at Allen Shopping Mall, multiple victims, 6 May 2023

[WendyPeffercorn]

This is the newspaper who has been breaking a lot of the news.

I don’t want to quote because they are continually updating, but the article discusses the shooters brother being incorrectly identified as him.

Neighbors says Allen outlet shooter Mauricio Garcia kept to himself

Neighbors would see Garcia come and go to work, dressed in a uniform that looked similar to a security guard's. But for the most part, they said he kept to himself.

www.cbsnews.com

I was trying to post links to the websites i am seeing the mugshot being shared and they are slowly being removed. i think i was correct that the wrong Mauricio Garcia was being shared. not his brother, just someone completely unrelated. if i can find a link that works so i can cite myself i will share

 

[Balthazar]

"Investigators have also uncovered the gunman's extensive social media presence, the law enforcement source tells CNN. It includes neo-Nazi and White supremacist-related posts, and images that authorities believe he shared online, according to the official."

Live updates: Allen, Texas, shooting at outlet mall leaves at least 8 dead

Eight people were killed and at least seven others wounded when a gunman opened fire at an Allen, Texas, outlet mall Saturday afternoon. Follow for live updates.

www.cnn.com

I also read an article that says although the shooter made all these posts no one had liked any of them or replied to any of them.

Of the victims, I believe one was a mall security guard and he was caucasian.
Family confirms security guard Christian LaCour as victim of Allen outlet mall shooting

The shooter pulled into the parking lot in front of the H&M store. He didn't park his car, just put it in park and started firing at whoever was on the sidewalk and then was walking along the sidewalk, firing at others as he walked.

Source: Investigators examine ideology of Texas gunman

The assailant who killed eight people at a Texas outlet mall has been identified by authorities as a 33-year-old man who had been staying at a nearby motel. Three law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press named the gunman as Mauricio Garcia, who was fatally shot by a police...

apnews.com

Here is the map of Allen Premium Outlets showing where the H&M store is located. The shooter literally was pulled up beside the last two parking places in front of the front door of the store:

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Prove you're human (and not a bot) with this simple test. Passing grades gain instant access to premiumoutlets.com

www.premiumoutlets.com

 

[LightandReason]

I just read Mauricio Garcia was removed from the US army due to mental health concerns.

It's pretty much always mental health, isn't it? We have a real mental health issue in our country right now.

 

[MyBelle]

Totally agree. White supremacist has a "big umbrella" where men of all shapes and sizes and races and nationalities etc share an ideology of hate for one or more groups IMO. Males who are sexist, antisemitic, homophobic and share a litany of other positions on today's seemingly hotpoint issues get radicalized many times online and elsewhere. It's a channel for their anger IMO
This is a pretty good article that gives you a flavor :

White supremacists are riling up thousands on social media

White nationalists and supremacists are building thriving, macho communities across social media platforms like Instagram, Telegram and TikTok.

www.pbs.org

If pbs is not your cup of tea - there are plenty other options on google that also informative
All IMO

Thanks for the article. If the shooter was unfit for the military, I wonder how he managed to land security jobs and gained access to an assault rifle. I wonder if there is a federal data base of people booted out?

 

[LightandReason]

First I'm hearing of it. Don't you sort of have to be white, to be a white surpremacist?

One would think so. We still know very little that's been confirmed. The usual press is advancing the usual narrative, which has often been found to be in error in the past. But of course, that doesn't stop all the usual projections. <modsnip>

 

[LightandReason]

because the general consensus seems to be LE or higher ups underpaying it

From what I've read, he was a security guard and unlike most mass shooters, ran from his car and started shooting at a specific group of people and primarily at one store. And one of his victims was a security guard. If all of that turns out to be true, I suspect they have to consider that he had an intended target, or that it could have been a workplace shooting. They don't know anymore than we do when they first arrive.

 

[DS2021]

You can be white and Hispanic. White is a race, Hispanic is an ethnicity

 

[Ontario Mom]

One would think so. We still know very little that's been confirmed. The usual press is advancing the usual narrative, which has often been found to be in error in the past. But of course, that doesn't stop all the usual projections. <modsnip>

Yes, one would think, if one were thinking rationally, to be a white supremacist you'd first also actually BE white, or at least identify as "white". Things are changing rapidly and it's hard to keep up.

You are correct at this time that still very little has been confirmed, and there's a TON of speculation. <modsnip>

 

[MyBelle]

Could the shooter belong to a Mexican gun cartel?

Texas mall shooting witnesses recall "unfathomable" carnage: "She had no face"

Investigators were combing through the suspect's social media and online accounts looking for clues to see whether he may have had links to domestic violent extremists and like-minded individuals. Investigators are also looking at possible affiliations he may have had with prison gangs and cartel members.

 

[Stunned]

From what I've read, he was a security guard and unlike most mass shooters, ran from his car and started shooting at a specific group of people and primarily at one store. And one of his victims was a security guard. If all of that turns out to be true, I suspect they have to consider that he had an intended target, or that it could have been a workplace shooting. They don't know anymore than we do when they first arrive.

I thought that also. There seemed to be a group around the tree that was targeted. IMO

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

He stopped his car at the end of parking lane, got out and started shooting right away. I doubt he knew whom he was shooting at, he just wanted to shoot the first people he saw.

 

[airportwoman]

Totally agree. White supremacist has a "big umbrella" where men of all shapes and sizes and races and nationalities etc share an ideology of hate for one or more groups IMO. Males who are sexist, antisemitic, homophobic and share a litany of other positions on today's seemingly hotpoint issues get radicalized many times online and elsewhere. It's a channel for their anger IMO
This is a pretty good article that gives you a flavor :

White supremacists are riling up thousands on social media

White nationalists and supremacists are building thriving, macho communities across social media platforms like Instagram, Telegram and TikTok.

www.pbs.org

If pbs is not your cup of tea - there are plenty other options on google that also informative
All IMO

I've known some horribly bigoted women who would have been right at home in the women's branch of the KKK.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

It's pretty much always mental health, isn't it? We have a real mental health issue in our country right now.

No, it isn't always mental health actually. The majority of mass murderers are not mentally ill.

Source: I am a board-certified (and verified) psychiatrist.

And also, from Columbia University's study on this:

Is There a Link Between Mental Health and Mass Shootings?

Findings from the Columbia database help dispel the myth that having a severe psychiatric illness is predictive of who will perpetrate mass murder.

www.columbiapsychiatry.org

This part is IMO, but when we get the full details of who this person was, it'll be revealed he was radicalized. Radicalization is not mental illness.

 

[mickey2942]

I would be interested to know where the perpetrator worked, and if maybe his work status changed recently. Odd, that he was known to have lived at his family's residence, but recently moved out to live in a hotel.

 

[Stunned]

I would be interested to know where the perpetrator worked, and if maybe his work status changed recently. Odd, that he was known to have lived at his family's residence, but recently moved out to live in a hotel.

Have you seen what rent is lately? That could be a reason. No first and last, etc. it adds up! IMO
Oh, and sometimes just a failure to launch!

 

[StephanieH]

I was disgusted by the press conference tonight. Only two people in it acknowledged the victims. Everyone focused on praising the cop who shot the killer and giving prayers. I'll bet not ONE of those victims' families will give one rat's *advertiser censored** about the prayers from the local officials. What a joke. I felt they are in CYA mode big time. Provided the absolutely most minimal information possible.

So, what's it going to take? What will be the last straw? Sure hope it comes within my lifetime.

I am so sick of all the solemn reassurances listing all the government agencies and their AFTER the fact cooperation.

in my opinion

Nothing is going to be done. That was decided after Newtown. If 20 first graders being gunned down while cowering in a closet didn’t change anything, nothing will.

 

[acutename]

Nothing is going to be done. That was decided after Newtown. If 20 first graders being gunned down while cowering in a closet didn’t change anything, nothing will.

The amount of mass shootings is defintely more than when I was younger. Is it the availability of weapons? I really do not know when being a mass shooter became a goal of so many. People blame mental health and the media, but some how people just did not do this routinely 20 yrs ago, IMO.

 

[Stunned]

Nothing is going to be done. That was decided after Newtown. If 20 first graders being gunned down while cowering in a closet didn’t change anything, nothing will.

Sad, but true. IMO and a lot of other angry people

 

[NuttMegg]

The amount of mass shootings is defintely more than when I was younger. Is it the availability of weapons? I really do not know when being a mass shooter became a goal of so many. People blame mental health and the media, but some how people just did not do this routinely 20 yrs ago, IMO.

. 20 years ago we still had a ban on the use of those assault style war weapons. 1994-until it expired 10 years later. Sure, mental health plays a huge part, but counting on "mental health" programs to prevent war weapon violence by a highly trained ex security guard as is the case in Allen, Texas, is absurd, imo. That's closing the barn door after the horse already got out. The leaders earnestly pushing "mental health" as a solution after every shooting will never consent to taking young men into custody before the mass murders just because they look or act weird. Would the previous neighbors of the accused shooter have turned him in, just because he had difficulty making small talk with them? Who could have predicted that the 33 year old professional gun handler needed treatment by psychologists or psychiatrists? Who would step into that snake pit of rights being violated. There is no "prevention of mass murder" provided by trying to single out alienated young men who "might" turn to using readily available weapons of war.

 

[Balthazar]

It appears the mall will remain closed until further notice:

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Most shoppers had to leave their car at the mall, so the police started retrieval process today from 5:45 to 9:30pm - having shoppers meet at a Senior Rec Center to take a bus to the outlets to get their car. No one is being allowed to enter any stores. I guess if they left their belongings or shopping in a store that will be sorted out later. The retrieval process will continue tomorrow morning.

Authorities announce plans for people to retrieve vehicles, abandoned belongings from Allen Premium Outlets

Authorities announced plans for those who need to retrieve their vehicle or abandoned belongings after being evacuated from the shooting scene at the Allen Premium Outlets.

www.fox4news.com

I want to know why the shooter chose the H&M store to begin his rampage out of the 120 stores in that mall. Why that one? And why did he choose this mall that is 40 minutes away from where he lived? Especially when he passed up several other large malls (and other H&M stores) on the way to this one including one with over 200 stores.