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Causes.com
| 5.8.23

Far Right Gunman Kills 8 in Texas Mall

Tell your representatives they must take action on gun violence NOW. 

What's the story?

  • A gunman opened fire at a mall in Allen, Texas, outside of Dallas on Saturday, killing at least eight people and injuring seven. 
  • Authorities reported the police killed the attacker on site. Brian E. Harvey, the chief of police in Allen, said the gunman, 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, acted alone. Investigators are looking into the shooter's potential links to the far right. 
  • Garcia wore a clothing patch with the letters "RWDS," which federal authorities say stands for "Right Wing Death Squad." The phrase is popular among right-wing extremists and white supremacists. 
  • He used an AR-15-style rifle, which GOP House members proposed designating as the National Rifle of America. The bill, introduced in February, wants to acknowledge the place of the AR-15 in American life and make it a national symbol. 
  • The victims of the Allen shooting are aged five to 61. Three are in critical condition, and four are in stable condition. 
  • This was the second-deadliest shooting of the year, following the Monterey Park, CA, massacre, which killed 11. 

Recent deadly shootings

  • This year has brought a string of deadly mass shootings, with Saturday's clocking in at number 199. Since then, there have been five mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Last week had an exceptionally high count. 
  • On April 28 in Cleveland, Texas, Francisco Oropeza killed five people in his neighbor's home after they asked him to stop firing his gun in his front yard. Authorities said Oropeza's actions were "almost execution-style."
  • On May 1, a registered sex offender shot and killed six people, including his wife and three of her children, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 
  • On May 3, a gunman opened fire in a medical office building in Atlanta, Georgia, killing one and injuring four. 

Take a stand

  • Unlike most media sites, Causes is an action-taking platform. We are built to take a stand, and we're urging you to stand with us. 
  • Access the latest information on guns in America using our Gun Violence Tracker here. 
  • Lastly, tell your representatives they must take action on gun violence NOW. 

 

-Jamie Epstein

(Photo credit: Twitter/ @crimewithbobby)