May 8, 2023 - Texas outlet mall shooting news

By Elise Hammond, Maureen Chowdhury, Aditi Sangal and Christina Maxouris, CNN

Updated 5:31 p.m. ET, May 16, 2023
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9:51 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

Bodies drenched in blood with victims writhing in pain from gruesome injuries: Navy vet describes scene

From CNN’s Sara Smart

Editor's note: This post contains graphic descriptions of violence.

Joshua Barnwell, a Navy combat veteran, describes the horrific scene he witnessed during the mass shooting at an Allen, Texas, outlet mall to CNN's Anderson Cooper.
Joshua Barnwell, a Navy combat veteran, describes the horrific scene he witnessed during the mass shooting at an Allen, Texas, outlet mall to CNN's Anderson Cooper. CNN

A Navy combat veteran described a horrific scene with a pile of victims – some dead, others with gruesome gunshot wounds – when he attempted to offer emergency care after Saturday's mass shooting in a Texas outlet mall.

Joshua Barnwell, who has training in emergency care, hid in the Lucky Jeans store at the mall when the shooting erupted – and when he felt it was safe to do so, he left the store to go tend to those injured. 

Barnwell told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday night that when he arrived in front of the H&M store he noticed gunshot-blasted windows and then he saw several victims lying in the area, including a child who was dead, and other people with vicious injuries in a landscaped area.

"I noticed in front of it was a woman who had collapsed on top of herself and had perished there. Then I turned my gaze toward the left, and I noticed a gentleman there who was writhing in pain. He had what appeared to be a shoulder wound. He was actually in the flower bed. There was a young child – my guess at the time was between 6 and 8 years old – that was lying there. Her state was unknown but did not look promising. Next to her was an adult woman who had multiple vicious gunshot wounds. She had the head of a young lady draped on her left shoulder facing downward, who also appeared to have multiple, very traumatic injuries and gunshot wounds. At the foot of that young lady was a pile, with a man on top, who was again writhing in pain with what appeared to be a shoulder or chest wound. And below him was a deceased woman, that I later found out was his wife, and then he had a young child with him — maybe 5 or 6 years old — that was just drenched in blood."

Barnwell said he went to tend to a woman who was injured and she asked him to take care of her daughter. Barnwell began CPR on the child when he said a “vile amount of blood came out" from the girl's back and he realized the child was dead.

He returned to her mother, who had atrocious bullet wounds. “Please fight and be there for the family that you have,” Barnwell said he told the woman.

Barnwell continued to do what he could until ambulances arrived. “When they arrived there were too many wounded for them to handle,” so he kept applying tourniquets and compression bandages to aid the wounded.

Barnwell said the reason he agreed to interviews was to share that he wanted people to “understand the depths of the depravity that occurred.”

“If in the detail it upsets them, then I’m glad – because it should, because it was a disastrous situation,” Barnwell said.
9:28 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

What does the term "incel" mean?

From CNN's AJ Willingham

The term “incel” is everywhere. What was once a niche piece of internet slang now populates international headlines and is a frequent topic in discussions about gender, misogyny, violence and extremism.

“Incel” is a portmanteau of “involuntary celibate.” In its most basic form, incel describes someone, usually a male, who is frustrated by their lack of sexual experiences.

The Anti-Defamation League, which works to address hate and extremism, defines incels as “heterosexual men who blame women and society for their lack of romantic success.”

“Incel” can also be used as a pejorative to describe someone who has misogynistic viewpoints or behaviors.

The person credited with coining the term “incel” was actually a woman. Alana, who is known only by her first name, first popularized the term in the 1990s through a personal website called “Alana’s Involuntary Celibacy Project.” The term “incel” became a part of the language she used with her followers as they discussed feelings of shyness and social awkwardness. However, as the term spread, it began to take on different meanings.

“With a term like ‘incel,’ and with any term of identity, the definition lies in how people use it to describe themselves and others,” Brette Steele, senior director for Preventing Targeted Violence at the McCain Institute, tells CNN. “That explains why the origins of incel differ from its current usage, and why it’s so hard to arrive at one exact definition.”

Read more about the history of the word and how it is used in popular culture here.

8:14 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

Outlet mall employee describes gunshots that sounded like explosions as she ran away

From CNN’s Sara Smart

Andria Gaither speaks to CNN news anchor Erin Burnett on Erin Burnett OutFront to describe her experience during the shooting on May 8, 2023.
Andria Gaither speaks to CNN news anchor Erin Burnett on Erin Burnett OutFront to describe her experience during the shooting on May 8, 2023. CNN

An employee working at the Allen Premium Outlets on the day of the shooting described loud, nonstop gunshots as she ran from the mall.

Andria Gaither had just gotten back from her lunch break on Saturday around 3:30 p.m. local time when the shooting began, she told CNN.

Gaither said she was in the back of the store when she noticed two young girls who began hiding in the clothing rack and fitting room. She said her boss was ushering customers into the back of the store to hide from the gunfire.

She briefly hid in a fitting room before deciding to run out of the emergency exit to get to safety.

“I could hear the gunshots very close, very loud, nonstop,” Gaither said, describing how she ran the full length of the mall to get off of the property. “It sounded like a very powerful gun. Every gunshot sounded like an explosion.”

Gaither said she knew one of the victims of the shooting, Christian LeCour, who was a security guard at the mall. She described LeCour as a “protector to all of the people that were working in the mall” and someone who was genuine and very kind.

LeCour was among the eight people killed in the second-deadliest US mass shooting of the year. You can read more about the victims here.

7:10 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

Here's what we know as police investigate the motive behind the deadly Texas mall shooting

From CNN staff

People look at a memorial to those killed at the Allen Premium Outlets mall after the mass shooting occurred on May 8, 2023 in Allen, Texas.
People look at a memorial to those killed at the Allen Premium Outlets mall after the mass shooting occurred on May 8, 2023 in Allen, Texas. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Police are continuing to investigate what led a gunman to open fire at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, over the weekend.

Eight people were killed and seven more were wounded in the shooting Saturday, officials said.

These are the victims:

  • Christian LaCour, a well-liked security guard at the outlets, his sister said.
  • Aishwarya Thatikonda moved to the US from India five years ago and worked as an engineer, CNN affiliate WFAA reported.
  • Elio Cumana-Rivas was from Dallas, Texas, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement.
  • Sisters Daniela Mendoza, a fourth-grader, and Sofia Mendoza, a second-grader, were killed and their mother is still in critical condition, the girls' school district said in a letter.
  • Three members of an Asian American family, Kyu Song Cho, 37, Cindy Cho, 35, and their child were also killed, the Texas Department of Public Safety and a GoFundMe post said.

Here's what else we know so far:

  • Gunman identified: The shooter, who dressed in tactical gear, was identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia. He had worked for at least three security companies and had undergone hours of firearms proficiency training in recent years, according to a database maintained by the Texas Department of Public Safety. He also served in the military for three months but was removed due to physical or mental health conditions, an army spokesperson said.
  • Ongoing investigation: Authorities are investigating whether the shooter was motivated by right-wing extremism, a senior law enforcement source said. He appeared to have written approvingly about Nazi ideology while sharing images of his many firearms and posting a photo of the Allen Premium Outlets mall on a social media website in the weeks before the shooting.
  • The weapons: The shooter was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and had at least one other weapon on him when he was gunned down by police, a senior law enforcement source told CNN. Police also found multiple weapons in his car. Those weapons were purchased legally from private sellers, a law enforcement source told CNN.
  • Calls for action: Several Democratic Texas state lawmakers are demanding action and say gun safety proposals have gone nowhere in the legislature. The White House also called on Congress to act on a federal level, saying gun violence is "a crisis that the Republicans in Congress are refusing to address," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
7:56 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

Gunman's social media includes posts about Nazis, weapons and mass shooters

 From CNN’s Casey Tolan, Paul Murphy, Curt Devine and Josh Campbell

The gunman who killed eight people at a Texas outlet mall appears to have written approvingly about Nazi ideology, shared images of his many firearms and posted a photo of the mall on a social media website in the weeks before the shooting.

A screenshot from Russian social media site ok.ru, which appears to have been posted by shooter Mauricio Garcia.
A screenshot from Russian social media site ok.ru, which appears to have been posted by shooter Mauricio Garcia.

A user on the Russian social media website Odnoklassniki posted photos of several receipts and an airline ticket with Mauricio Garcia’s name, and also listed a birthdate matching Garcia’s — who has been identified as the suspected shooter by police. A law enforcement source confirmed to CNN that investigators believe the account belonged to Garcia.

The account also posted a screenshot from Google Maps showing what times of day the mall in Allen, Texas, was busiest, a few weeks before the shooting.

 A screenshot from Google Maps showing what times of day the mall in Allen, Texas, was busiest.
A screenshot from Google Maps showing what times of day the mall in Allen, Texas, was busiest.

In a rambling post from the day of the shooting – the account’s final correspondence – Garcia quoted from South Park and other movies and TV shows, and alluded to his struggles with undisclosed personal problems.

“Even if I did go to a psychologist,” the post read, “Their (sic) not going to be able to fix with whatevers wrong with me. Besides that shit's expensive.”

Garcia also posted photos of a man’s shirtless torso with a large swastika tattoo over the heart. It’s not clear whether the man pictured is Garcia.

The existence of the account was first reported by the New York Times, and it was later identified by a researcher with the open-source intelligence website Bellingcat.

Garcia self-identified in some posts as an “incel,” a term that the Anti-Defamation League defines as “heterosexual men who blame women and society for their lack of romantic success.” Some posts were sexist and expressed anger toward women.

Another post expressed anger toward family members who “mocked any attempt I made to be masculine…” and “told me I was disturbed…” Yet another described people making jokes or awkward comments about the poster’s likelihood of committing mass murder.

Other photos posted on Garcia’s account include various firearms, some of which, the user wrote, he acquired in recent months. There are also photos of a body armor vest with an RWDS patch – an acronym for Right-Wing Death Squad -- that authorities have said Garcia wore during the shooting.

A body armor vest with an RWDS patch, an acronym for Right-Wing Death Squad.
A body armor vest with an RWDS patch, an acronym for Right-Wing Death Squad.

In an April 24 post, Garcia praised the shooter in the Nashville school massacre that killed six people, including three children, the month before, referring to the number of people murdered. 

Other posts espoused antisemitism and echoed the “replacement theory,” the false notion that a conspiracy is underway to make the US population less White. Some gunmen motivated by racism said they were inspired by the theory.

6:03 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

Texas mall shooting victim graduated with a Master's degree in 2020

From CNN’s Caroll Alvarado and Amanda Jackson

Aishwarya Thatikonda has been identified as a victim of the mass shooting in Allen, Texas, on Saturday.
Aishwarya Thatikonda has been identified as a victim of the mass shooting in Allen, Texas, on Saturday. Family Handout

Aishwarya Thatikonda, one of the eight people killed in the Texas mall shooting, graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2020 with a master's degree.

"We were deeply saddened to learn this morning that an Eastern Michigan University graduate, Aishwarya Thatikonda, was among those killed in Saturday's shooting at a mall outside of Dallas, Texas," the university said in a statement. "Aishwarya graduated from Eastern in Dec. 2020 with a Master of Science in construction management."

Thatikonda moved to the US about five years ago to pursue her Master's degree and was just a few days away from turning 28 when she was killed, CNN has previously reported.

She worked as an engineer, a family representative told CNN affiliate WFAA.

“As the nation has to once again grapple with a senseless act of gun violence, we share our condolences with Aishwarya's family and friends," Eastern Michigan University's statement read. "She will forever be remembered as a strong Eastern Michigan University Eagle.”
7:05 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

Multiple weapons owned by shooting suspect were purchased legally, law enforcement source says

From CNN’s Josh Campbell

Multiple weapons owned by the Allen outlet mall shooting suspect, including the AR-15-style rifle used in the attack, were purchased legally, a law enforcement source told CNN.

Most of the weapons were purchased from private sellers, which is legal in Texas and means the suspect, Mauricio Garcia, did not go through a background check.

The shooter obtained his weapons “over time,” the source said, adding, “This was not an instance where he rushed to buy weapons prior to the attack.”

Garcia moved out of his family residence about two months ago and the family had not seen much of him since, according to the source.

The family has been cooperative with law enforcement and there is no indication that they knew about Garcia’s attack plans or propensity for violence.

A motive has not yet been identified by authorities, but they continue to look at the domestic extremism angle.

Law enforcement officials do not feel they have a “complete picture” of the suspect’s past and are continuing to dig into his background, the source added.

4:49 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

Texas mall shooter graduated from Dallas high school in 2008

From CNN’s Ed Lavandera

Mauricio Garcia, the man who opened fire at an Allen, Texas, outlet mall on Saturday, killing eight people and wounding several others, graduated from Bryan Adams High School in 2008, the Dallas Independent School District confirmed to CNN.

The school is roughly 8 miles from downtown Dallas and about 25 miles from the Allen Premium Outlets, where the massacre unfolded.

No official motive for the attack has yet been released.

4:53 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

White House calls gun violence "a crisis that the Republicans in Congress are refusing to address"

From CNN's Nikki Carvajal

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily news briefing on Monday in Washington, DC.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily news briefing on Monday in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The White House is once again calling for Congress to act on gun control after a mass shooting in Allen, Texas, over the weekend. 

“Today is Monday, May 8, that means it is the 128th day of 2023 and yesterday we witnessed the 201st mass shootings in this country this year," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.

 "This is a crisis. It is a crisis that the Republicans in Congress are refusing to address," she added.

Jean-Pierre listed places where there have been mass shootings, including schools, shopping malls and churches. She said enacting gun control legislation is "about protecting our everyday life" as she called on Congress to take action.

The White House has implied in the past that President Joe Biden has reached the limit on how much he can act on gun control measures through executive order. 

Asked if the president had been briefed on reports that the shooter may have been motivated by right-wing extremism and white supremacist rhetoric, Jean-Pierre declined to weigh in on the specific case. 

“Broadly speaking, as it relates to the right-wing organization that he was connected to, or has been reported to be connected to, we have spoken out consistently about the concerning rise in hate-fueled violence in this country,” she said. “The president has talked about this in great length including in discussing how we need to restore the soul of this nation.”

Some context: Authorities have not announced a motive for why the gunman, 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, opened fire at Allen Premium Outlets. Garcia, who was killed at the scene by an Allen police officer who was on a nearby call, was wearing an insignia that authorities believe may be associated with extremist groups, a senior law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN.

Investigators have unearthed an extensive social media presence, including neo-Nazi and White supremacist-related posts and images that authorities believe Garcia shared online, according to the source.