(ALLEN, Texas) — Eight people were killed and seven others were injured when a gunman opened fire at an outdoor mall north of Dallas, Texas, on Saturday afternoon, officials said.
The alleged gunman died after a confrontation with police at the Allen Premium Outlets, police said.
Here’s how the news developed. All times Eastern:
May 08, 6:55 PM EDT
Texas DPS releases adult victims’ names
The Texas Department of Public Safety released the names of the adult victims killed in Saturday’s shooting.
They were identified as Kyu Song Cho, 37, of Dallas; Cindy Cho, 35, of Dallas; Christian LaCour, 20, of Nevada, Texas; Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32, of Dallas; and Aishwarya Thatikonda, 26, of McKinney, Texas.
Investigators said three unidentified minors, ages 3, 8 and 11, were also among those killed.
-ABC News’ Stephanie Wash and Jack Date
May 08, 6:55 PM EDT
What police found after search warrant issued
ABC affiliate WFAA has obtained a search warrant return listing what was found by investigators at the suspect’s home.
Among the items were three boxes of ammo and loose rounds, a knife in a holster, two holsters and silver-colored handcuffs, according to the search warrant listing obtained by ABC affiliate WFAA.
-ABC News’ Josh Margolin
May 08, 1:36 PM EDT
Suspect terminated from Army after 3 months
The mass shooting suspect, Mauricio Garcia, joined the U.S. Army in June 2008 and was terminated three months later, according to an Army spokesperson.
“He was separated under the 2005 edition of Army Regulation 635-200, paragraph 5–17, Other designated physical or mental conditions,” an Army official said.
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler
May 08, 1:32 PM EDT
6 victims remain in hospital
Medical City Healthcare said its hospitals are still treating six patients from the mass shooting.
Three are in critical condition, two are in fair condition and one patient — who is at Medical City Children’s Hospital — is in good condition, officials said.
May 08, 12:47 PM EDT
Schumer calls special meeting for Senate Democrats
In the wake of a spate of mass shootings, including in Allen, Texas, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has called a special caucus meeting for Senate Democrats to discuss gun violence and the path forward on gun safety legislation, according to a Schumer spokesperson.
The meeting is set for Thursday, May 11 at 12:45 p.m. ET.
-ABC News’ Trish Turner
May 08, 12:05 PM EDT
Memorial grows outside Allen Premium Outlets, therapy dogs arrive
A memorial outside the Allen Premium Outlets continues to grow.
Dallas native Roberto Marquez has made it his life’s work to create memorials at the scene of tragedies. He told ABC News that this memorial in Allen is his 11th.
Marquez said Home Depot donated the lumber he used to build the crosses.
Volunteers from Lutheran Church Charities have also arrived at the scene with therapy dogs. The group has over 140 dogs in at least 25 states.
The same dogs in Allen on Monday were on the scene in Uvalde last year when 19 students and two teachers were killed in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary school.
A vigil for the Allen victims is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m., according to community leaders.
-ABC News’ Ike Ejiochi and Abigal Shalawylo
May 08, 6:54 AM EDT
‘I knew she was gone’: Witness describes aftermath
After a gunman opened fire at the Allen Premium Outlets, Joshua W. Barnwell, an eyewitness with military experience, rushed to help the wounded.
A woman who was conscious asked him to help her daughter, he said.
“This woman had massive trauma, five to six gunshot wounds,” Barnwell told Good Morning America on Monday.
He went to the daughter to start chest compressions, he said.
“When I saw the massive amount of blood come out from her when I gave her chest compressions to her back,” Barnwell said. “I knew she was gone.”
May 07, 8:13 PM EDT
VP Harris on mall shooting: ‘All Americans deserve to be safe from gun violence’
Vice President Kamala Harris released a statement Sunday about the shooting, also urging Congress to act.
“Doug and I mourn for the eight adults and children who lost their lives, pray for those wounded, and send our gratitude to the first responders who ran toward danger,” she said in a statement.
“All Americans deserve to be safe from gun violence. But they are not,” Harris continued. “Not because we do not know the solutions. Not because the American people are divided on this issue — even a majority of gun owners support sensible reforms.”
Harris urged Congress to send a bill to President Joe Biden that would ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and would introduce universal background checks.
“We need action,” Harris added.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
May 07, 7:47 PM EDT
FBI alerts public on how to get vehicles left at Allen Premium Outlets
The FBI has provided details to the public on how they can retrieve their vehicles from the outlet mall.
Those with vehicles that were left at the mall can meet at the Allen Senior Recreation Center beginning at 5:45 p.m. local time Sunday, where they will be sent to the outlet mall, the FBI said Sunday in a press release.
The senior center will be managing the retrievals until 9:30 p.m. local time, the FBI said.
“Please drop off only one individual for vehicle retrieval,” the FBI said. “Be sure to have your car keys with you.”
Officials have urged the public not to go directly to Allen Premium Outlets.
May 07, 7:17 PM EDT
Suspect had history of mental health problems: Sources
Preliminary information developed during the investigation indicates the suspect was in the U.S. Army in 2008 and was “removed due to mental health concerns,” law enforcement sources briefed on the probe tell ABC News.
In addition to the insignia on the shooter’s equipment that suggested a right-wing extremist ideology, investigators have found social media accounts connected to the suspect that reveal hundreds of postings and images, including writings with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist rhetoric, including neo-Nazi material and material espousing the supremacy of the white race, the sources said.
None of the subject’s postings analyzed to date were liked or shared by other users nor were there any public comments, according to the sources. The suspect’s account did not contain any friends or associates that were publicly visible, the sources said.
Investigators have determined the suspect had no criminal history and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle, according to the sources. The shooter was equipped with a ballistic vest, numerous magazines and additional handguns, the sources said.
-ABC News’ Josh Margolin
May 07, 5:54 PM EDT
20-year-old security guard identified as victim in mall shooting
Christian LaCour, 20, is the first victim of the shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets to be identified.
LaCour died while working as a security guard at the outlet mall, his sister said.
“He was a really sweet kid,” Brianna Smith told ABC News over the phone. “I’m sad that he’s gone.”
Christian’s mother, Tracye LaCour, asked for privacy, telling ABC News that they are praying for the families of the other victims.
-ABC News’ Miles Cohen
May 07, 3:33 PM EDT
Alleged shooter ID’d in deadly Texas mall rampage
The suspect in the Allen, Texas, mall mass shooting was identified Sunday as Mauricio Garcia, according to law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation.
The 33-year-old Garcia was fatally shot by a police officer who rushed to the gunfire and confronted him at the outlet mall on Saturday afternoon, police said.
The Texas Department of Public Safety, which is leading the investigation, was searching Mauricio’s home and vehicle on Sunday. The agency declined to comment further on Garcia and said the motive for the shooting remains under investigation.
President Joe Biden said the assailant was dressed in tactical gear and armed with an AR-15-style assault weapon he used to gun down eight people and injure at least nine others.
May 07, 2:43 PM EDT
3 people wounded in attack remain in critical condition: Police
At least three people wounded in a mass shooting at an Allen, Texas, outlet mall remained in critical condition on Sunday, according to police.
Four victims were taken to Medical City McKinney, a trauma center in McKinney, Texas, about seven miles from Allen. Three of the patients were in critical condition and one was listed in fair condition, according to a statement Sunday from the Allen Police Department.
Eight victims were killed in the attack and a total of nine people were injured, police said. The shooter, whose name has not been released by police, was confronted and fatally shot by a police officer.
Among the injured, one patient was transferred from Medical City McKinney to Medical City Plano and was in fair condition. Another patient was transferred to Medical City Children’s Hospital in fair condition, police said.
“We are a strong and caring community and we want all of the victims and their families impacted by this tragedy to know that we will wrap our arms around you, and we are here for you,” Allen Mayor Kenneth M. Fulk said in a statement released Sunday. “The City of Allen pledges to offer our complete support. We know you are grieving, we are grieving. Rest assured, the nation and the world are also grieving.”
May 07, 2:40 PM EDT
Biden calls on Congress to pass assault weapons ban
President Joe Biden is renewing his call for Congress to pass an assault weapons ban following Saturday’s mass shooting at a Texas outlet mall.
“Yesterday, an assailant in tactical gear armed with an AR-15 style assault weapon gunned down innocent people in a shopping mall, and not for the first time. Such an attack is too shocking to be so familiar,” Biden said in a statement released Sunday.
“And yet, American communities have suffered roughly 200 mass shootings already this year, according to leading counts. More than 14,000 of our fellow citizens have lost their lives, credible estimates show. The leading cause of death for American kids is gun violence,” Biden said.
Biden argued that “some progress” has been made as a result of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and his various executive actions, but blasted GOP lawmakers, saying, they “cannot continue to meet this epidemic with a shrug. Tweeted thoughts and prayers are not enough.”
“Once again, I ask Congress to send me a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Enacting universal background checks. Requiring safe storage. Ending immunity for gun manufacturers. I will sign it immediately. We need nothing less to keep our streets safe.”
May 07, 12:03 PM EDT
Abbott says mall shooting underscores need to address mental health issues
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he plans to visit Allen, Texas, on Sunday afternoon as he argued in a TV interview that the mass shooting at an outlet mall there underscores the need to focus on addressing mental health issues.
“Texans are hurting today. And the people who are hurting the most obviously are the families of the victims, the families of lost loved ones, families who have a loved one who is injured and our main priority right now is to help and support those families in the Allen community,” Abbott said on Fox News Sunday.
He said he is going to Allen on Sunday “to begin the process of providing hope and healing.”
“But I can tell you there are questions that are lingering that the families want answers to. And that is why this happened? Why did that gunman do this? How did this happen? And I know that those families need answers as quickly as possible,” said Abbott, who praised the quick response of police in confronting the shooter and killing him.
Abbott was asked about new polling that shows strong support for background checks for gun purchases, increasing the legal age to buy a gun to 21 and requiring mental health checks for purchases. The governor said his state is also looking at legislation to address “easy solutions” to get guns out of the hands of criminals.
But overall, Abbott argued, the focus should be on the “long term solution” of addressing mental health.
May 07, 11:23 AM EDT
Domestic terrorism probed in Texas outlet mall massacre
As authorities work to determine a motive for the outlet mall shooting in Allen, Texas, one avenue investigators are exploring is whether this was an act of domestic terrorism, multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News.
The shooter wore patches or stickers on his clothing that raised suspicion he may have gravitated toward right-wing extremism, the sources said, though they added no motive has yet been established.
Federal agents were seen at a home in the Dallas area believed to be associated with the shooter, ABC Dallas affiliate station WFAA reported.
Federal investigators are already going through the suspect’s electronic devices and social media as they work to understand what led to the killing rampage, the sources said.
In addition to a rifle used in the shooting, sources said investigators recovered additional firearms in a vehicle associated with the shooter.
The Texas Rangers are the lead agency on the case with assistance from the FBI, ATF and Allen police.
May 07, 11:08 AM EDT
‘I got him down’: officer who apparently killed Texas shooter says in radio transmission
Police radio dispatches from the Allen, Texas, mall shooting Saturday captured the chaotic moments as the massacre unfolded, including an officer who apparently confronted the killer, calling for backup before reporting, “I got him down.”
“We got shots fired at the Allen Mall,” an officer is heard saying in the radio dispatches, according to the Broadcastify, which records emergency transmissions.
A police officer was at the Allen Premium Outlets when the shooting erupted around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, raced to the gunfire and fatally shot the suspect, Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey said at a news conference on Saturday.
“We got people running,” the officer on the scene radioed to a police dispatcher. “I need everybody I got.”
A short time later, the officer radioed, “I got him down,” referring to the gunman, who police have yet to identify.
May 06, 11:46 PM EDT
Shopper says she ‘hunkered down’ amid shooting
A woman was shopping when she says the shooting began and described how people began to flee for safety.
Elaine Penicaro said in an interview that she was finishing up her shopping when she heard “popping” noises and began to realize how dire the situation was.
“We saw sparks flying like it was right in front of us. So we just ran into the Converse store. They locked the door. We all hunkered down in the back. And that’s where we stayed,” she said.
Penicaro said she heard the police arrive within five to 10 minutes.
May 06, 11:13 PM EDT
Vigil planned for Sunday
A vigil will be held Sunday afternoon in the aftermath of the deadly shooting.
State Rep. Jeff Leach said that a vigil was planned for 5 p.m. at Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church. He made the announcement during a briefing Saturday evening.
“This community is home for us and our hearts are devastated and broken tonight no law enforcement official no elected official Ever imagines or plans to or hopes to speak in front of a press conference like this,” Leach said.
May 06, 11:01 PM EDT
Mayor calls shooting a ‘tragic day’
Ken Fulk, the mayor of Allen, called the shooting a tragic day for the community and extended his sympathies. Fulk, who was elected in 2020, also pledged his support.
“Today is a tragic day for the city of Allen, our citizens, our friends and visitors who were at the Allen Premium Outlets today. We are a strong and caring community and we all want the victims and their families impacted by this tragedy to know that we will wrap our arms around you. And we are here for you,” he said.
May 06, 10:47 PM EDT
Shooter killed at the scene
The shooter was killed at the scene, police said.
Allen Police Department Chief Brian Harvey said at a press briefing that an officer was at Allen Premium Outlets on an unrelated call when he heard gunshots and located the shooter who was then “neutralized.”
“We are asking for the public’s help if you are a witness,” Harvey said.
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