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

[nao]

Moo...if you have no fb friends who is going to read or even know about your posts?....moo

 

[Balthazar]

Slightly different take with a snapshot of the town from here in the UK -- apologies if it has already been posted.

‘Like living in a war zone’: in towns like Allen, Texas guns are deeply ingrained

In conservative towns like Allen, where a shooter killed eight people on Saturday, guns are handed down from generation to generation

www.theguardian.com

** Also, I know it has a long history, and is perfectly germane in this sort of case, but everytime I see or hear the phrase "soft targets" I see our (once) wee bairns and now my infant nephew happy and safe in their own spaces, until those spaces are no longer safe through nothing they have done or can understand. It is a shattering thought, and increasingly hard to contain.

No ideology or practice, however ingrained or "traditional," should be immune from making way for better ones.

Are you sure that The Guardian did not mean this to be a satire? This absurd article would be like an American newspaper claiming that the borough of Richmond in London is a war zone. Allen is a beautiful city with luxury homes, good schools, beautiful parks, friendly, caring residents and it is also one of the safest places to live in the USA and surrounded by the #1 and #4 safest cities in the USA. The average house costs $512,500. It is also important to recognize that if guns are such a problem in Allen, how come the only other armed person at the Allen mall was the off-duty police officer who killed the shooter? The shooter in this case came from Dallas, 40 minutes away, not Allen.

 

[Balthazar]

From your link:

Garcia had been living in some form of transient lodging, according to the law enforcement source. Law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation told ABC News that preliminary information developed in the probe indicates that the shooter was in the U.S. Army in 2008 and was "removed due to mental health concerns." In addition to the insignia on the shooter's equipment that suggested a right-wing extremist ideology, investigators have found social media accounts connected to the shooter that reveal hundreds of postings and images, including writings with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist rhetoric, neo-Nazi material and material espousing the supremacy of the white race. None of the subject's postings analyzed to date were liked or shared by other users nor were there any public comments. The shooter's account did not contain any friends or associates that were publicly visible.

Okay so, in 2008 he would have been 18. Since he's 33 now, he's either hidden his mental health issues from everyone for the last 15 years, or more likely, everyone that knows him knows he has mental health issues.

Also, his social media accounts as reported, seem pretty weird. Hundreds of posts and images, yet NONE of them were liked or shared by anyone, and zero friends visible? I'm having a hard time with that one. Even the creepiest of creepy accounts has people liking and sharing their stuff. Yet this guy had zero likes, shares or comments?

The parent's neighbors have said they would see him but he never talked to them and he lived there for more than a decade. They said he was someone "you couldn't really have a conversation with." Others have said he behaved oddly - no specification of what that meant.

I think he must have received an administrative discharge from the Army which would not put him on the list of people who cannot buy guns. However, we don't even know if his guns were legally purchased yet. We have heard zero about that.

The shooter was killed outside the Fatburger restaurant's outdoor seating area. So, if you look at the Allen mall map, he really didn't make it that far from H&M. He was still on the center island where H&M was located and had managed to turn only 1 corner. Center Map for Allen Premium Outlets®

There is a bit more information here:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/08/us/allen-texas-mall-shooting-gunman-monday/index.html

 

[Rolypolyoly]

Are you sure that The Guardian did not mean this to be a satire? This absurd article would be like an American newspaper claiming that the borough of Richmond in London is a war zone. Allen is a beautiful city with luxury homes, good schools, beautiful parks, friendly, caring residents and it is also one of the safest places to live in the USA and surrounded by the #1 and #4 safest cities in the USA. The average house costs $512,500. It is also important to recognize that if guns are such a problem in Allen, how come the only other armed person at the Allen mall was the off-duty police officer who killed the shooter? The shooter in this case came from Dallas, 40 minutes away, not Allen.

I'm sure I read that the Mall had a no guns rule?

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

Are you sure that The Guardian did not mean this to be a satire? This absurd article would be like an American newspaper claiming that the borough of Richmond in London is a war zone. Allen is a beautiful city with luxury homes, good schools, beautiful parks, friendly, caring residents and it is also one of the safest places to live in the USA and surrounded by the #1 and #4 safest cities in the USA. The average house costs $512,500. It is also important to recognize that if guns are such a problem in Allen, how come the only other armed person at the Allen mall was the off-duty police officer who killed the shooter? The shooter in this case came from Dallas, 40 minutes away, not Allen.

That article is from the perspective of a politician quoted throughout. It sounds like a bunch of sour grapes because she lost her seat. imo

 

[PrairieWind]

The type of gun used made a huge difference to the victims in this shooting. Why semi-automatic rifles like those used in recent shootings can cause so much damage

Reading articles like this drives me insane.

 

[Dotta]

"Oh God, he's coming in here next': ​

Hero store associate sacrificed her life to save a group of shoppers as they hid in a bathroom closet during Texas mall shooting - and they walked past her body when cops came to rescue them."​

Store staffer sacrificed life to save shoppers during Texas shooting

A native of Dallas, Racquel Lee was one of hundreds present at the Allen Premium Outlets around 3:30pm when the first shots rang out, eventually leaving eight dead.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Jade]

Are you sure that The Guardian did not mean this to be a satire? This absurd article would be like an American newspaper claiming that the borough of Richmond in London is a war zone. Allen is a beautiful city with luxury homes, good schools, beautiful parks, friendly, caring residents and it is also one of the safest places to live in the USA and surrounded by the #1 and #4 safest cities in the USA. The average house costs $512,500. It is also important to recognize that if guns are such a problem in Allen, how come the only other armed person at the Allen mall was the off-duty police officer who killed the shooter? The shooter in this case came from Dallas, 40 minutes away, not Allen.

The Officer was on duty:

The gunman was killed by an Allen Police Department officer who was at the mall on an unrelated call, police said.

Allen, Texas mall shooter was removed from Army over mental health concerns: law enforcement sources


Is there a link that the Officer was the only armed person? That seems unlikely.

The Officer responded quickly others may not have had the chance to act or decided to run off and not to look for a shooter and fight him.


A witness in a cosmetic store at the northeast corner of the building said he watched as the shooter passed by firing his gun. Moments later, a pursuing police officer passed, rounding the corner and firing ahead of him “down range,” he said.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/08/us/allen-texas-mall-shooting-gunman-monday/index.html



The area saw the largest Asian American growth rate of any major U.S. metro area, according to U.S. Census figures. Those statistics show Allen's population is about 19% Asian, 10% Black and 11% Hispanic.



Allen also is connected to another of Texas’ recent mass shootings. Patrick Crusius lived there in 2019 before he posted a racist creed online that warned of a "Hispanic invasion" and drove to El Paso, where he opened fire at a Walmart, killing 23. Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty to federal hate crime and weapons charges in February.

Investigators examine ideology of Texas gunman in deadly mall shooting


all imo

 

[Balthazar]

I'm sure I read that the Mall had a no guns rule?

The Simon group of malls has a no weapons rule but a company rule is not the law in Texas. In Texas there are legal requirements for stores and other businesses to display a specific sign in order to not have people concealed carry or open carry in their business. These signs make it a felony if you enter that business while carrying and you lose your gun license permanently. The vast majority of legal gun owners obey these signs. I've looked at pictures of the doors of various stores at the Allen mall and most do not have the signs required by state law to prevent people who are carrying from entering. The Zales and Cisco stores are the only ones that are flagged on a concealed carry app as no-carry stores. I looked at the Zales store and the required sign IS on their front door. None of the other stores seem to have the signs. But, in general, malls and stores do allow you to conceal carry in Texas. This is an outdoor strip mall type mall, so there would be no way to regulate what people carry on the sidewalks or have in their vehicle. It is 100% legal to carry in those stores that do not have those signs. Thank goodness the off-duty police officer who killed the shooter was carrying.

 

[SuziQ]

Making your friend list private is one thing, but to post hundreds of posts, pictures, etc., and have zero likes, shares or comments is pretty much unheard of. Even more so if you're some sort of extremist. Social media is ground zero for people to find things to either promote or argue about, especially when it comes to controversial views. It just seems really weird to me that he had zero interaction on his social media.

I'm behind, so this question might have been answered. Has anyone found these pages? TIA?

 

[Ontario Mom]

Moo...if you have no fb friends who is going to read or even know about your posts?....moo

According to the article his friend list was not public. It didn't say he didn't have any, but it did say no likes, comments or shares of anything he posted. That's the part that seems weird to me.

 

[SuziQ]

Media outlets, imo, are very good at finding internet postings. Even if they have to use Way back type resources to do so. I know LE owes us nothing. But a presser clearing up some info would help.

 

[Ontario Mom]

I'm behind, so this question might have been answered. Has anyone found these pages? TIA?

I haven't seen any links to any of his social media. This is coming from the MSM only.
Weird too, since folks on social media always find this stuff before LE do & start taking screen shots like crazy before it all gets scrubbed. In this case, I've seen nothing.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

According to the article his friend list was not public. It didn't say he didn't have any, but it did say no likes, comments or shares of anything he posted. That's the part that seems weird to me.

I am a novice at facebook, but if friends are private/hidden, maybe their comments and likes are also hidden? Speculation.

 

[Ontario Mom]

I am a novice at facebook, but if friends are private/hidden, maybe their comments and likes are also hidden? Speculation.

No, you can still see comments from friends/family even if the account owner has the list private.

 

[Jade]

Thank goodness the off-duty police officer who killed the shooter was carrying.

Snipped for focus



The Officer was on duty.

From the Allen Police Department:


At 3:36 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, 2023, an Allen Police Department officer on an unrelated call heard gunshots at Allen Premium Outlets. The officer engaged the suspect and neutralized the threat.


Log into Facebook

 

[SuziQ]

I am a novice at facebook, but if friends are private/hidden, maybe their comments and likes are also hidden? Speculation.

You can still set your FB account to public and hide your friends. That is how mine is set up.

 

[SuziQ]

I also have public comments and likes blocked.

 

[Deleted member 287549]

People in the US don’t always seem to realize that many Hispanics are 100% Caucasian.

Correct. Though, I'm not sure how common-knowledge this is, especially in the U.S. The first time I heard the term "White Hispanic" was back in 2012 & via the media covering the TM case - this term was used in specific reference to GZ.

 

[sds71]

Two Cox Elementary students, fourth-grader Daniela Mendoza and second-grader Sofia Mendoza, were killed Saturday.

Their mother, Ilda, remains in critical condition, according to an email from Wylie ISD Superintendent David Vinson.

“We love your babies, we love them so much,” Vinson wrote. “Our love for our kiddos and each other will get us through this. Daniela and Sofia will not be forgotten. Hug your kids, and tell them you love them.”

Security guard, engineer, 3 children among those killed in Allen mall mass shooting

North Texas grieved in the aftermath of gunfire that killed eight people and wounded others at an Allen mall. Here’s what we know about the people who lost...

www.dallasnews.com