Shooting at Allen’s outlet: Shooter’s alleged social media profile includes racist screeds, Nazi images and more
Photos uploaded to the account show that Mauricio Garcia appears to have explored the mall and attempted to identify peak traffic times as he planned his mass shooting.
DALLAS – Over the past 48 hours, the WFAA has reviewed the contents of an obscure now-deactivated social media account that appears to show how the gunman who attacked the Allen Outlet on Saturday, May 6, scouted the location and attempted to identify times customer traffic peak to plan its mass shooting.
Law enforcement officials have confirmed to the WFAA that the account our team investigated is the same profile the officials were also investigating.
Officials, however, have not yet confirmed that the social media account belongs to Mauricio Garcia, the 33-year-old Dallas Army gunman who according to police killed eight people – mostly black people – and injured many. others in less-four minute window.
The profile does, however, include his date of birth, various photographs of someone who appears to be Garcia (including a photo in front of an East Dallas Home Police raid after last weekend’s shooting), and references to the extended stay motel where the police say Garcia has been living for the past few weeks.
The profile also includes a screenshot of a traffic quote listing Garcia as the recipient.
The first profile post was uploaded in April 2020. What follows are years of racial slurs, Nazi images, praise of mass murderers and videos of someone who appears to be Garcia shooting a variety of semi-automatic rifles at shooting ranges .
The account also includes at least one photo showing a patch on a tactical vest that reads “RWDS,” an acronym that stands for “Right Wing Death Squad,” a phrase that far-right extremists who glorify violence against their Political enemies have embraced it as an identifier in recent years.
A law enforcement officer told ABC News that Garcia was found with a “RWDS” patch on his person at the Allen outlet.
The most recent post was published just hours before the May 6, 2023 attack. That update included a writing that appears to be a suicide note demanding that the profile user be cremated. It also included language in which the user said that he would “have the last laugh tonight” and that even if he went to see a psychologist, he would not be able to “fix what was wrong with me”.
The social media platform hosting the profile has an internet address of “.ru”, indicating that it is based in Russia. Few, if any, other users appear to have engaged with any of the profile posts prior to May 6th.
There also appears to be little to no content moderation on the social media platform.
The profile uploads include a September 2022 post mocking Asian cultures and commenting on American immigration policies.
The account also includes photos of a torso with Nazi tattoos, as well as city symbols from Dallas and Fort Worth. Law enforcement officials described similar images on Garcia’s body.
The profile also includes photos and videos of weapons, ammunition, and bulletproof vests, as well as posts complaining about the user’s ability to connect with various women, including exotic dancers.
On February 4, 2023 there is a post in which the author describes going to confession for the first time.
“The reverend said what sins I have committed,” the post reads. “I sang like a canary. I lied. And I stole. The reverend said what did I steal? Some candy and other junk food, about $10 worth. The reverend said I should donate $10 to charity. I told the reverend if I could just throw that money into the collection pot. The reverend said it works.”
After leaving the confessional, the author “split” the $10 donation. He wrote, “Half went to this pro-life charity and I put the other half in the collection box.”
The post continued, “This girl saw me and said I could light a candle since I made a donation.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
