What we know about the Texas mall shooting suspect

The suspect in the Allen mall shooting in Texas was identified Sunday as Mauricio Garcia, according to law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation.

Eight people were killed and seven others injured after a gunman opened fire at the Allen Premium Outlets, an outdoor mall north of Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, officials said.

The suspect 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, police said.

PHOTO: Shoppers are evacuated from the Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas, May 6, 2023.
Shoppers are evacuated from the Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas, May 6, 2023.
WFAA

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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.

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.

PHOTO: A law enforcement officer walks as people are evacuated from a shopping center where a shooting occurred, May 6, 2023, in Allen, Texas.
A law enforcement officer walks as people are evacuated from a shopping center where a shooting occurred, May 6, 2023, in Allen, Texas.
Lm Otero/AP

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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.

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 told ABC News on Sunday.

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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.

The Texas Rangers are the lead agency on the case with assistance from Allen police, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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