CNN
By Elizabeth Wolfe and Michelle Watson, CNN
Like many of those injured in a horrible mass shooting at a Texas shopping mall over the weekend are still being treated at hospitals, investigators have yet to pin down the motive for the attack.
Eight people were killed and at least seven others injured Saturday when a 33-year-old gunman opened fire at the Allen Premium Outlets in a north Dallas suburb. Witnesses described a gruesome scene with some victims riddled with excruciating gunshot wounds as bystanders rushed to perform first aid.
“Ambulances arrived and the doctors were shocked,” said Steven Spainhouer, who treated the victims in the mall parking lot.
“We were going to try to qualify on the site, but they said: ‘No, these horrible injuries… we can’t qualify. Just load them in the ambulance and go,” Spainhouer said.
One of the injured was in critical condition and another in serious condition as of Tuesday, according to Medical City Healthcare, which is treating six of the injured.
Two others were in fair condition and the remaining two, including one at Children’s Hospital Medical City, were in good condition, said the health care network, which has not identified any of its patients.
Many of the dead were from the same two familiesincluding a married couple and their 3-year-old son and two elementary school-age sisters: Daniela and Sofia Mendoza.
Daniela and Sofia’s mother, Ilda Mendoza, was hospitalized in critical condition Monday, according to a letter sent to parents by the girls’ school district. Her current condition is unclear.
Irvin Walker II had to undergo surgery after the shooter fired directly into his car, hitting him twice in the chest and once in the shoulder, according to a report. GoFundMe Verified established on your behalf. Walker’s surgery was successful and he is stable, the page says.
The shooter, identified as Mauricio Garcia, was carrying three weapons, including an incredibly destructive AR-15-style rifle, and had five more in his car, Texas Department of Public Safety regional director Hank Sibley said Tuesday.
All of the firearms Garcia brought in were obtained legally, Sibley said.
But as witnesses and authorities have painted a vividly grim picture of how the attack unfolded, investigators have yet to come up with a motive in the nation. second deadliest massacre this year.
Although investigators found Garcia to have “neo-Nazi ideas,” Sibley said the shooter did not appear to be targeting people based on their ethnicity.
“To me, it looks like it was targeted at a location rather than a specific group of people,” Sibley said.
As the investigation continues, the FBI warns that scammers may be trying to take advantage of the tragedy.
“We are aware of multiple fake online fundraising events that are currently underway for victims,” said Chad Yarbrough, special agent in charge of the FBI Dallas.
Record of shooter reveals extremist ideas
As investigators continue to analyze Garcia’s electronic devices and social media, several details of the shooter’s background have already emerged, including online posts in which he appears. have supported Nazism and obsessed with guns and previous mass shootings.
Sibley also said Tuesday that Garcia had tattoos and patches that expressed neo-Nazi ideas.
A photo of the shooting scene obtained by CNN Garcia lying on the ground after being shot. He is wearing a patch that reads “RWDS,” which authorities believe may stand for “Right Wing Death Squad,” a senior law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN.
The badge also appears to be displayed on a photo posted by a user of the account on the Russian social media website Odnoklassniki that investigators believe to belong to Garcia, according to a law enforcement source.
The user also posted writing supporting Nazi ideology and, in the weeks leading up to the shooting, posted a photo of the mall.
A few weeks before the shooting, the user also posted a Google Maps screenshot showing what times of day the mall was busiest.
Garcia, who had previously worked as a security guard, had no documented criminal record, Sibley said.
Murdered security guard working to evacuate shoppers
Authorities say Christian LaCour, a 20-year-old mall security guard, died while trying to escort people to safety.
“We must also recognize the bravery of Allied (Universal) security guard Christian LaCour, who evacuated an individual to safety and was shot while bravely standing by to help others,” said Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey.
LaCour was “the kind of guy who would just walk into the store and everyone in the room would light up because he was there,” said Max Weiss, a store clerk at the mall.
Another victim, Elio Cumana-Rivas, worked hard as a delivery boy to support his parents who live in Venezuela, his brother Gregory Smith Cumana told CNN.
“We were all very close,” Cumaná said. “He helped his mother buy her medicine, and he also communicated with our father and made sure he had everything he needed.”
The attack also devastated a Korean-American family, turning their family of four into a family of one after the parents of a 6-year-old boy, Cho Kyu Song, 37, and Kang Shin Young, 35, and her 3 year old brother were all picky.
James, the youngest brother, loved to wear elephant bibs and T-shirts, said his nursery teacher, Trinity Whitley. WFAA, CNN affiliate.
“He was a super sweet kid and he is going to be missed every day. And there won’t be a day that we’re not thinking about him,” she said.
The CNN Wire
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Ed Lavandera, Caroll Alvarado, Andy Rose, Haley Britzky, Michael Conte, Tina Burnside, Amanda Jackson, Holly Yan, Steve Almasy, Josh Campbell, Sara Smart, Casey Tolan, Paul Murphy and CNN’s Curt Devine contributed to this report.
