Shooting at Texas outlet mall
The law enforcement officer who took down the mass shooter at the Allen Premium Outlets mall has broken his silence for the first time.
In a statement on Monday, the unnamed officer’s attorney described him as “a brave servant with a gentle heart” and said he is “doing well” but is asking for privacy “as he continues to process this life altering tragedy”.
The officer was at the mall in Allen, Texas, for an unrelated incident when gunman Mauricio Garcia, 33, opened fire killing eight innocent shopppers on Saturday afternoon. Garcia was shot dead by the officer.
The motive remains unknown but a social media profile, reviewed by The Independent, reveals that he stalked the mall in the weeks before the shooting to identify peak visitation times.
He was also wearing a patch reading “RWDS” – standing for Right Wing Death Squad – as he carried out the rampage and appears to have posted swastika tattoos, praise for Adolf Hitler and other extremist views online.
The eight victims have now all been identified including three small children, with President Joe Biden ordering flags to be flown at half mast in their memories.
