Texas shooting suspect discharged from US Army

The man suspected of Saturday’s shooting at a Texas shopping center that killed eight people was discharged from the U.S. Army in 2008 after less than three months of training, the Pentagon said Monday, May 8. The man who was shot by a police officer during the shooting has been identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia of Dallas.

Joined the army “He was fired in June 2008, after three months without completing his initial training.”, the U.S. Army said the man was not deployed in the field or decorated. The reasons for his hasty exit were not disclosed.

Officials declined to comment on suspected links to far-right groups, as some media reported. However, a police source confirmed that these elements are from a leaked investigation document.

US media reported that three children, including a 3-year-old boy and his two parents, were killed during the massacre. Only his 6-year-old brother survived. Two sisters aged 8 and 11, a 20-year-old security officer and a 26-year-old engineer were among the dead.

With more guns in circulation than people, the United States has the highest number of gun deaths of any developed country: 49,000 in 2021, up from 45,000 in 2020.