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One day after protesters converged on a vigil for the eight people killed in a shooting at a suburban Dallas mall, authorities on Monday sought to determine whether the gunman was motivated by white supremacist and neo-Nazi views.
Federal agents have been reviewing social media accounts they believe were used by Mauricio Garcia, 33, and posts that expressed interest in white supremacist and neo-Nazi views, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Garcia’s links to that ideology reportedly included social media posts as well as a patch on his chest that read “RWDS,” an acronym for the phrase “Right Wing Death Squad” that is popular among right-wing extremists and white supremacy groups.
The official cautioned that the investigation is in its early stages.
Garcia was killed by police responding to Saturday’s assault in Allen, Texas, which left seven people with injuries that required hospitalization, Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said.
Developments:
∙ The attack in Allen is the second deadliest of 2023. A January mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, left 11 people dead and nine injured after that city’s Lunar New Year festival.
∙ Patrick Crusius lived in Allen in 2019 before he posted a racist screed online that warned of a “Hispanic invasion” and drove to El Paso, where he opened fire at a Walmart, killing 23. Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty to federal hate crime and weapons charges in February.
