Texas mall shooter Mauricio Garcia bought guns legally: report

May 11, 2023

The AR-15 rifle used in the Texas mall shooting was among multiple weapons that were legally purchased by gunman Mauricio Garcia, according to a report.

A law enforcement source told CNN Monday the weapons were mostly bought from private sellers, which is legal in Texas.

The collection of weapons was obtained “over time,” leading up to the attack that left eight people dead at Allen Premium Outlets Saturday afternoon, the source said.

Mauricio Garcia bought the AR-15 rifle and other weapons used in the mall shooting in Texas legally, according to a report.

Pictures of weapons from a social media account belonging to Garcia.

Shoppers leave with their hands up after police responded to a gunman who shot and killed eight people. — Shoppers leave with their hands up after police responded to a gunman who shot and killed eight people

“This was not an instance where he rushed to buy weapons prior to the attack,” the source told CNN.

While a motive for the shooting has yet to be revealed, more details have come out about Garcia, who was killed by a police officer during his rampage.

What we know about Texas mall shooter Mauricio Garcia

The gunman who killed eight people and injured seven others before being shot dead by police at a Texas outlet mall has been identified as Mauricio Garcia, 33.

A look into Garcia’s past revealed:

He served in the Army in 2008 but was eventually “removed due to mental health concerns,” law enforcement sources told local ABC 30.
Garcia had undergone several firearms proficiency courses in 2015 and 2018 as part of his security guard work
Investigators began probing whether Garcia held neo-Nazi views after police found a patch on his chest with the acronym “RWDS,” which stands for “Right Wing Death Squad”
Garcia also appeared to be casing his target for weeks. He shared more than two dozen photos of the outlets on extremist forums in the weeks leading up to his mass shooting, seemingly determining what would be the most packed time at the mall to unleash the greatest carnage, NBC said.
The mass shooter alluded to his declining mental health, too. One of his final posts lamented that no psychologist would be able to fix him and his fears of what his family might say about him.

The shooter, 33, is believed to have posted racist and misogynistic hate on social media, according to an NBC News report.

A source told The Associated Press Sunday federal agents were probing social media accounts they believe belonged to the shooter that espoused neo-Nazi and white supremacist views.

The madman killer was also booted from the Army in 2008 over “mental health concerns,” a law enforcement source told local ABC 30.