Texas Mall Shooting: Gunman's History with US Army Revealed; Victims Identified
Authorities have released the identities of the Texas Mall shooting victims, along with the name and background of the Texas shooting gunman.
Fox News reported that the Texas Mall shooting suspect, Mauricio Garcia, had a brief three-month US Army stint.
The spokesperson for the US Army Public Affairs, Heather J. Hagan, said in a statement that Garcia entered the regular Army in June 2008. However, Garcia was terminated from the Army three months later without completing the initial training.
Hagan added that Garcia was not given a military occupational specialty and had no deployments or awards.
The spokesperson for the Army said that they do not provide "characterization of discharge for any soldier."
One Army official told the media news outlet that Garcia broke away from the Army under the 2005 edition of Army Regulation, with one paragraph stating "other designated physical or mental conditions."
Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey refused to answer questions regarding the suspect's ideology. He noted that they "don't have a lot" right now.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott did not go into detail about the investigation but said that the public should not jump to conclusions as there is a "lot of conflicting information" about Garcia.
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Texas Mall Shooting Suspect
Garcia was reported to have brought more weapons and ammunition with him inside his car, according to one source.
Two senior law enforcement officials said that he was wearing a patch on his chest, with acronyms embedded "rwds," which authorities believe to be letters standing for "right-wing death squad," as reported by NBC News. One of them said the phrase was used in far-right online spaces.
The reported social media accounts of Garcia revealed hundreds of posts with "racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist rhetoric" upon initial look at the materials. They also reportedly contain neo-Nazi material and material espousing white supremacy.
Law enforcement officials said that the agencies involved in the investigation are investigating if the shooting was a racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism case.
Officials said that they are leaning toward the belief that the Texas mall shooting gunman acted alone, with investigators interviewing his relatives and friends.
The Texas mall shooting was considered the second deadliest mass shooting in the US this year and the second in Texas in a little over a week.
Texas Mall Shooting Victims
Three Korean Americans were confirmed to be part of the list of victims. They were identified as Chu Kyu Song, 37, and wife Kang Shin Young, 35, with one of their children killed in the shooting, according to CNN.
One GoFundMe post for the family noted that a six-year-old son was released from the ICU and is the only surviving member of the shooting.
At least seven others were wounded before Garcia was killed by an Allen police officer who was already at the retail center on an unrelated call.
Aside from the Cho family, sisters Daniela and Sofia Mendoza were both killed in the shooting. The two were both elementary school students in the Wylie Independent School District.
A security guard named Christian LaCour was also among the victims, including 27-year-old Aishwarya Thatikonda.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: 8 killed, 7 injured in shooting rampage at Texas mall l GMA - from ABC News
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