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Authorities investigating the Texas mass shooting recovered several firearms inside gunman Mauricio Garcia’s vehicle — as well as three boxes of ammunition, a tactical vest, a sheathed knife and a trove of other items inside his motel room.
The 33-year-old killer was staying at the Budget Suites of America on North Stemmons Freeway in Dallas at the time of his deadly attack, which left eight people dead and seven injured, according to a search warrant cited by WFAA.
Investigators found several handguns, rifles and ammunition inside his 2014 Dodge Charger at the scene of the shooting, the news outlet reported.
They also combed through his room at the extended-stay motel, where they discovered a trove of evidence linking him to the atrocity.
Among the items recovered were three boxes of ammo, a tactical vest, handcuffs, a sheathed knife, nine bullets in a “critical defense box,” a rifle hand guard and another holster, the warrant reportedly show.
Investigators also found two black hats, one with “Killin It” on it and the other with “Security,” several micro CD cards and a micro SD adapter, receipts from the Carolina Caliber firearms company and tactical gear GT Distributors, among other items.
A US Army rep has confirmed that Garcia had been in the service in 2008 but was removed after a short stint due to mental health concerns.
“Mauricio Garcia entered the regular Army in June 2008,” spokeswoman Heather Hagan said in a statement. “He was terminated three months later without completing initial entry training. He was not awarded a military occupational specialty. He had no deployments or awards. We do not provide characterization of discharge for any soldier.”
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.
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An Army official told WFAA that Garcia was “separated under the 2005 edition of Army Regulation 635-200, paragraph 5–17, Other designated physical or mental conditions.”
“This is a common discharge for recruits who can’t adapt to military life,” attorney Bradford Glendening, a former member of the Army Judge Advocate General Corps, told the outlet.
“Soldiers who are discharged without completing Initial Entry Training receive uncharacterized discharges. Uncharacterized discharges are just what they sound like — they’re neither favorable, nor unfavorable. No benefits are earned, nor any lost, with an uncharacterized discharge,” he added.
Garcia reportedly cased the Allen Premium Outlets in Allen for several weeks before launching his depraved attack Saturday — and shared scores of photos of the site on extremist forums as he planned to strike during the most packed time.
He also shared multiple posts targeting Jewish people, women and racial minorities on the Russian social networking platform OK.RU and 4chan.
The gunman also expressed concerns that no psychologist would be able to cure him and allay his fears of what his family might say about him.
Garcia said he once admitted his thoughts about his mental health to a military commander.
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