Who was Mauricio Garcia, the suspected mass killer in Texas mall shooting?

Scenes at a shopping mall in Texas took a nightmarish turn on Saturday after a gunman unleashed carnage, claiming the lives of eight people and injuring half a dozen. As the United States and President Joe Biden himself mourn the victims, we take a look at 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, the prime suspect behind the rampage.

Mauricio Garcia was identified as the suspected gunman and later shot fatally by a police officer who was responding to another call in Allen, the city where the shooting occurred. According to people familiar with the investigation, the alleged shooter likely had strong white supremacist and neo-Nazi beliefs, and was found to be the operator of several extremist accounts on social media. 

Garcia was a local, and had been registered for voting in Texas since 2008, according to the Washington Post. Before the shooting, he had temporarily been living in a hotel in Dallas. But prior to that, he used to reside with his parents in East Dallas. Neighbours said that he usually maintained a low profile, but never appeared to be the one who would get into trouble.

Neighbours reveal suspect's behaviour 

“He just seemed to be aloof, kind of disconnected. But he wasn’t threatening,” said Kevin Todd, who lives near the home of Garcia's parents. However, he was often spotted wearing the uniform of a security guard or law enforcement officer and driving a sporty car. Julie, another neighbour who lives down the street, said that “We called him ‘Honky’ because he always honked at us and waved." According to her, Garcia was one of the four children that the couple had. "They’re good people,” she said.

On the day of the shooting, the slain suspect was found to have several weapons in his possession and in his vehicle. Wearing tactical gear, he used an AR-15-style weapon to carry out the attack. Colin Palakiko, an onlooker who was present at the mall when the shooting began, said that Garcia "was loaded". "No civilian person should be able to have access to that kind of ammunition. It’s insane," he said. Saturday's shooting sparked condemnation from many, including US President Joe Biden who called for stricter gun laws and announced that the national flag will be flown at half-staff to remember the victims.