Investigators Examine Ideology of Texas Gunman

By JAMIE STENGLE, JAKE BLEIBERG and MICHAEL BALSAMO

DALLAS (AP) — Federal officials are looking into whether the gunman who killed eight people at a Dallas-area mall expressed an interest in white supremacist ideology as they work to discern a motive for the attack, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official cautioned that the investigation is in its early stages.

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, said the official, who could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Garcia also had a patch on his chest when he was killed by police that read “RWDS,” an acronym for the phrase “Right Wing Death Squad,” which is popular among right-wing extremists and white supremacy groups, the official said.

In addition to reviewing social media posts, federal agents have interviewed family members and associates of Garcia to ask about his ideological beliefs, the official said. Investigators are also reviewing financial records, other online posts they believe Garcia made and other electronic media, according to the official.

Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey declined Sunday evening to answer questions from the AP, saying of the investigation, “we actually don’t have a lot.”

The Texas Department of Public Safety identified Garcia as suspected of killing eight people at a Texas outlet mall, a day after the attack turned an afternoon of shopping into a massacre.

Garcia was fatally shot Saturday by a police officer who happened to be near the suburban Dallas mall.

A law enforcement official said investigators have been searching a Dallas motel near an interstate where Garcia had been staying. The official said police also found multiple weapons at the scene after Garcia was killed, including an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun.

Two law enforcement officials said investigators also searched a Dallas home connected to the suspect. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss details of an ongoing investigation.

A woman who lives three houses down from the low brick house said she saw a large group of uniformed officers go into the home Saturday between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

On Sunday afternoon, a woman named Julie was sitting on the porch of her house, next door to the one searched the day before. She declined to give her last name to an AP reporter but said she awoke from a nap around 6 p.m. Saturday to see four police squad cars and a large group of officers outside her neighbor’s home.

She said they entered the home and were joined about an hour later by FBI agents and other people wearing plainclothes, who she also took to be law enforcement.

The woman said she did not know her neighbors well, but knew them to be “very polite, very nice people.” She said the man she now understands to have been the shooter was always friendly and would wave or honk his horn as he came and went.

At about 2 p.m. Sunday, a man entered the home that was searched, but when reporters knocked on the door and waited, no one answered.

In a statement, President Joe Biden said the assailant wore tactical gear and fired an AR-15-style weapon. He urged Congress to enact tighter restrictions on firearms and ammunition.

“Such an attack is too shocking to be so familiar. And yet, American communities have suffered roughly 200 mass shootings already this year, according to leading counts,” said Biden, who ordered flags lowered to half-staff.

Republicans in Congress, he said, “cannot continue to meet this epidemic with a shrug.”

The shooting was the latest attack to contribute to the unprecedented pace of mass killings this year in the U.S. Barely a week before, five people were fatally shot in Cleveland, Texas, after a neighbor asked a man to stop firing his weapon while a baby slept, authorities said.

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TEXAS (AP) — Autoridades federales investigan si el hombre que mató a ocho personas en un centro comercial del área de Dallas expresó algún interés en la ideología de la supremacía blanca, parte de los intentos policiales para identificar un motivo, informó a The Associated Press un funcionario de seguridad, quien advirtió que la pesquisa se encuentra en sus primeras etapas.

Agentes federales han estado revisando las cuentas de redes sociales que creen que usó Mauricio Garcia, de 33 años, y las publicaciones que expresaban interés en posturas supremacistas y neonazis, dijo el funcionario, que carece de autorización para declarar públicamente sobre los detalles de la investigación y habló con la AP a condición de guardar el anonimato.

Al momento de ser abatido por la policía, Garcia también llevaba un parche en el pecho con las letras “RWDS”, un acrónimo de la frase “Right Wing Death Squad” (Escuadrón de la Muerte del Ala Derecha), el cual es popular entre grupos de extrema derecha y supremacistas blancos, dijo el funcionario.

Además de revisar las publicaciones en redes sociales, agentes federales han entrevistado a familiares y allegados de Garcia para preguntar sobre sus creencias ideológicas, agregó el funcionario. Los investigadores también están analizando registros financieros, otras publicaciones en internet que creen que pertenecen a Garcia y demás medios electrónicos.

Las autoridades identificaron a García como el sospechoso de matar a ocho personas en un centro comercial de Texas, pero su motivo seguía siendo un misterio el domingo, un día después de que el ataque convirtió una tarde de compras en una masacre.

Tres funcionarios policiales que hablaron con la AP señalaron que Garcia había sido el agresor después de que fue abatido el sábado por un agente de policía que se encontraba de casualidad cerca del centro comercial de los suburbios de Dallas. Los funcionarios hablaron a condición de guardar el anonimato a fin de poder declarar sobre los detalles de una investigación en curso.

Uno de los funcionarios señaló que los investigadores habían realizado un cateo en el motel en el que Garcia se hospedaba, y dos de los funcionarios dijeron que los investigadores allanaron una residencia de la zona de Dallas relacionada con el sospechoso. El funcionario indicó que la policía también encontró varias armas en el lugar del ataque después de que Garcia fue abatido, incluido un fusil tipo AR-15 y una pistola.

Las autoridades dieron a conocer pocos detalles luego del ataque. No divulgaron información sobre las víctimas, incluidos sus nombres.

El tiroteo fue el más reciente en contribuir al ritmo sin precedentes de masacres en lo que va del año en Estados Unidos. Hace apenas una semana, cinco personas fueron asesinadas a disparos en Cleveland, Texas, después de que un vecino le pidió a un hombre que dejara de disparar en su jardín porque estaban tratando de dormir a un bebé, señalaron las autoridades.

El nombre del agresor en Dallas se dio a conocer mientras la comunidad se lamentaba por los muertos y esperaba noticias sobre los siete heridos.

Photo: AP/WFAA