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DALLAS — WFAA has been investigating an difficult to understand, now-closed social media account that looks to belong to the gunman who attacked the Allen outlet mall on May 6, 2023. The contents of the account counsel that the shooter, recognized as Mauricio Garcia, scouted the mall and tried to spot height buyer visitors instances to devise his mass capturing.
While police officers have no longer but showed that the social media account belongs to Garcia, they’ve recognized the account as the only they’ve been investigating. The profile incorporates Garcia’s date of beginning, more than a few pictures of him (together with an image in entrance of the East Dallas house police searched after the capturing), and references to the extended-stay motel the place police say he was once dwelling for the previous few weeks. Additionally, the profile features a screenshot of a visitors quotation checklist Garcia because the recipient.
The first post at the profile was once made in April 2020, and due to this fact, the profile incorporates years of racist screeds, Nazi imagery, reward of mass killers, and movies of any individual who seems to be Garcia capturing a lot of semi-automatic rifles at gun levels.
One symbol particularly confirmed a patch on a tactical vest studying “RWDS,” which stands for “Right Wing Death Squad”—an identifier that far-right extremists have followed lately to glorify violence towards their political enemies. A legislation enforcement professional advised ABC News that Garcia was once discovered dressed in this patch on his individual at the Allen outlet mall.
Additional content material at the profile contains pictures of a torso with Nazi tattoos, town symbols of Dallas and Fort Worth (an identical imagery to Garcia’s frame), and pictures and movies of guns, ammo, and frame armor, in addition to posts lamenting Garcia’s talent to connect to more than a few girls.
Despite being based totally in Russia, the place the platform offering this account is hosted, the profile incorporates a September 2022 post that derides Asian cultures and feedback on American immigration insurance policies. There additionally seems to be little to no content material moderation at the social media platform.
The most up-to-date post at the profile, made hours sooner than the May 6, 2023, assault, contained writing that seems to be a suicide observe, asking that the consumer be cremated. It additionally incorporated language by which the writer expressed need for revenge: they’d “have the last laugh tonight,” and no psychologist may just “fix what’s wrong with [them].”
Photos uploaded to the account counsel that Garcia scouted the Allen outlet mall and tried to spot height visitors instances whilst making plans his mass capturing.
The Associated Press contributed to this document.
