![\"Suspect](\"https:\/\/c.ndtvimg.com\/2023-05\/43bso4h_texas-shooting_625x300_07_May_23.jpg\"\/ "\\"Suspect")
<\/div>\nMauricio Garcia was suspected of murdering eight people at a Texas shopping mall<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Washington: <\/b><\/p>\n
The man suspected of murdering eight people at a Texas shopping mall was kicked out of the US Army in 2008 less than three months after joining, a spokeswoman said Monday.<\/p>\n
Mauricio Garcia, 33, was shot dead by police after opening fire with a semi-automatic rifle in the parking lot of Allen Premium Outlets north of Dallas on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
“Mauricio Garcia entered the regular Army in June 2008; he was terminated three months later without completing initial entry training,” US Army spokeswoman Heather Hagan said in a statement, without specifying why he was removed.<\/p>\n
“He was not awarded a military occupational specialty. He had no deployments or awards,” Hagan added.<\/p>\n
US media and the independent Bellingcat research site reported that Garcia had a page on a Russian social media site that expressed neo-Nazi and misogynistic views, and revealed Garcia’s concerns over his own mental health.<\/p>\n
The profile included photos of a shirtless torso bearing Nazi tattoos, though it was unclear if the person pictured was Garcia.<\/p>\n
US law enforcement officials declined to comment on the page, but one said media reports of Garcia’s far-right leanings came out of a document leaked from the investigation, which is being handled by the Texas Department of Public Safety, along with the FBI.<\/p>\n
A GoFundMe page appeared to confirm that three of those killed in the shooting were Korean-American parents and their three-year-old son.<\/p>\n
“After being released from the ICU, their six-year-old son William is the only surviving member of this horrific event,” the page said.<\/p>\n
Others who lost their lives included two elementary school-aged sisters, a security guard and an engineer, according to US media.<\/p>\n
US President Joe Biden on Sunday renewed his call for lawmakers to pass a national assault weapons ban and other gun safety measures, saying fast action is needed to save lives.<\/p>\n
With more firearms than inhabitants, the United States has the highest rate of gun deaths of any developed country — 49,000 in 2021, up from 45,000 the year before.<\/p>\n
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n