FBI Asks Texas Mall Shooting Witnesses for Evidence as Suspect ID’d by Unnamed Officials
The FBI is asking witnesses of the Allen, Texas, mall shooting to submit video evidence to the bureau after a suspected shooter killed eight people.
Witnesses who have digital evidence from the Saturday incident should submit information to an online website that was created after the mass shooting. “FBI Dallas, The Texas Rangers, and the Allen Texas Police Department is seeking information on the May 6th shooting that occurred at the Allen Premium Outlet Mall located in Allen, Texas. Please submit images and/or video below,” the website says, directing users to send in their clips and photos.
The FBI told media outlets that its agents were “present at two locations in Dallas,” and is assisting state and local authorities by “devoting all available resources to include investigative, intelligence, digital forensics, and victim services personnel among others.”
Dashcam video circulating online showed the gunman getting out of a car and shooting at people on the sidewalk. More than three dozen shots could be heard as the vehicle that was recording the video drove off.
Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said seven people, including the shooter, died at the scene. Two other people died at hospitals. The wounded remained hospitalized Sunday—three in critical condition and four in fair condition, the Allen Police Department said in a statement. An Allen police officer was in the area on an unrelated call when he heard shots at 3:36 p.m., the department wrote on Facebook.
The Allen Police Department said in a statement on Sunday that the Texas Department of Public Safety would investigate the matter and would take over the probe. The Epoch Times has contacted the Texas Department of Public Safety for comment.
Suspect Reportedly Identified
The suspect who shot and killed the eight people was identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia. Several law enforcement officials told multiple outlets like The Associated Press, CNN, NBC, Fox News, and others that Garcia was named as the suspect.
Garcia was shot and killed by a responding officer. Police also found multiple weapons at the scene after Garcia was fatally shot, including an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun, officials said.
Reporters with CNN and other outlets spoke with neighbors who saw FBI and police officers at a home that matched that of Garcia’s parents on Saturday night. It’s not clear why more details about the shooting suspect have not yet been provided.
More law enforcement officials who were familiar with the matter told CBS News that before the shooting, Garcia had no serious prior criminal history. They said he was working as a security guard.
Officials told the Dallas Morning News that Garcia was staying in an extended-stay hotel in Dallas.
“He tried to acknowledge us but seemed a little off,” a neighbor, who only used the name Julie, told NBC News. “He wasn’t somebody you could carry a conversation with.”
Still, Julie said she was stunned to learn that Garcia was involved in the massacre. “You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out,” she said.
Another neighbor, Gilda Bailey, told the network that she saw three police squad cars parked outside his house. Officials wouldn’t allow the relatives inside the home, and she later saw FBI officials removing items from the home.
“I don’t understand what triggered him,” Bailey said of Garcia.
“Just the thought of living a few houses down from someone who can do this can be a little scary and give you more caution,” said Moises Carreon, another neighbor, in the NBC article. “I don’t know why people want to shoot innocent people for any reason.”
It comes as President Joe Biden on Sunday called on Congress to pass gun control bills in the wake of yet another mass shooting that left nine people dead, including the gunman, at a Texas mall on Saturday.
The Democratic president renewed calls for Congress to ban what he called “assault weapons,” as well as to pass measures on universal background checks and end immunity for gun manufacturers. There is little chance the narrowly divided House and Senate would pass such legislation, while at least one member of his own party, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), said he doesn’t favor gun control.
“Yesterday, an assailant in tactical gear armed with an AR-15 style assault weapon gunned down innocent people in a shopping mall,” Biden said in a statement on Sunday. He also offered condolences to the victims and their families.
“Jill and I are praying for their families and those critically injured. We’re grateful to the first responders who acted quickly and courageously.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
