Extremist beliefs were shared on a social media page appearing to belong to the gunman who killed eight people at a Dallas-area outlet mall, with rants against Jews, women and racial minorities posted on the account since September, as well as posts about struggling with mental health.
Mauricio Garcia, 33, maintained a profile on the Russian social networking platform OK.RU, which included posts referencing extremist online forums such as 4chan and content from white nationalists, including Nick Fuentes, an antisemitic white nationalist provocateur.
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In the weeks before the attack, Garcia posted more than 2 dozen photos of the Allen Premium Outlets mall, where the mass shooting occurred Saturday afternoon, and surrounding areas, including several screenshots of Google location information, seemingly monitoring the mall at its busiest times.
Many of Garcia’s posts referenced his mental health. In his final post, he lamented what his family might say and wrote that no psychologist would have been able to fix him. He wrote that he had expressed similar thoughts to his commanding officer.
Garcia also posted a series of links to other sites, including one of a YouTube account with one video posted the day of the shooting. In the video, Garcia removes a Scream mask and says, “Not quite what you were expecting, huh?”
He also posted photos of a flak vest emblazoned with patches, including one with the acronym for “Right Wing Death Squad,” a popular meme among far-right extremist groups. Another post included a series of shirtless pictures with visible white power tattoos, including SS Lightning Bolts and a swastika.
Garcia was armed with multiple weapons, including an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun, when he opened fire at a crowded outdoor mall in the suburb of Allen, authorities said.
Authorities have not publicly revealed a motive for the mass shooting but a senior law enforcement source said Garcia’s social media site is part of the investigation.
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The officials stressed that the investigation is ongoing, and that the preliminary review found that the gunman’s social media posts were not liked or shared by other users.
An official said authorities believe the shooter acted alone, but investigators were continuing to interview relatives and friends.
Garcia joined the Army in June 2008 but was kicked out after three months for a physical or mental condition. He did not complete basic training, nor was he ever deployed or received any awards, said Heather Hagan, a U.S. Army Public Affairs spokeswoman.
“We do not provide characterization of discharge for any soldier,” Hagan added.
A home in a tree-lined neighborhood of Dallas connected with the gunman and his family was searched by authorities. People could be seen coming and going from the residence, but those who came to the door Monday declined to comment.
More on the Texas mall shooting
The shooting in Allen came barely a week after a man fatally shot five people in Cleveland, Texas, north of Houston, after a neighbor asked him to stop firing his weapon while a baby slept.
There have also been seven mass shootings in Texas since the elementary school massacre in Uvalde a year ago, in which 21 people were killed, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. This year has seen an average of about one mass killing per week, The AP reported.
Texas Senate Democrats on Monday called on the GOP-led Legislature to pass new gun control laws, including age restrictions on owning guns and closing gun show loopholes.
Allen, about 25 miles north of downtown Dallas and with a population of about 105,000 residents, is among the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s diverse suburbs.
The community also is connected to another of Texas’ recent mass shootings. Patrick Crusius lived there in 2019 before he posted a racist screed 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.
Deon J. Hampton and The Associated Press contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
