There's widespread grief across North Texas this morning following another mass shooting.
Nine people are dead and seven others are recovering in area hospitals from serious wounds after a gunman wearing body armor stepped out of a silver sedan and started shooting people at an Allen outlet mall Saturday afternoon.
An Allen Police officer was in the area on an unrelated call when he heard shots, the Allen Police Department wrote on their Facebook page. “The officer engaged the suspect and neutralized the threat. He then called for emergency personnel,” they wrote.
Texas DPS officials identified the gunman as Mauricio Garcia, a 33-year-old who has been living with family in Dallas. As to why he did it, it's all pretty murky. But investigators have found a pretty extensive social media presence and some sources claim his postings included elements of neo-Nazi extremism.
The shooting, the latest eruption of what has been an unprecedented pace of mass killings in the U.S., sent hundreds fleeing in panic. Barely a week before, authorities say, a man fatally shot five people in Cleveland, Texas, after a neighbor asked him to stop firing his weapon while a baby slept, the Associated Press reports.
A day after the massacre, the Allen community came together for a vigil to help support and comfort each other. An overflow crowd packed the sanctuary at Cottonwood Creek Church to pray for the victims of the shooting and their families. Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Patrick were among the elected officials in attendance.
"The people in Allen, especially the families, they want to know right now why this happened, how it happened" said Abbott at a press conference on Monday.
It was not until late Sunday night when many of those who were evecuated from the scene of the shooting were allowed to go back to claim their vehicles.
As the mall remains closed during the investigation, those hoping to get thier cars are being asked to meet at the Allen Senior Recreation Center on St. Mary Drive between 10 am and 2p. Police will take people to the mall to get their vehicles.
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