ALLEN, Texas — We're learning more about Saturday's mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets mall, including new details on the suspected shooter, the victims and how the tragedy unfolded.
The WFAA team will be covering updates on the shooting throughout the week.
Here are the latest updates on everything we know:
What happened in the Allen outlet mall shooting?
Nine people died, including the suspect, in a shooting at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, on Saturday, May 6.
According to officials, the shooting occurred at about 3:36 p.m. at Allen Premium Outlets, 820 W. Stacy Road.
Witnesses told WFAA they saw the shooter, who was reportedly dressed in all black, near the location of the Fatburger restaurant in the mall complex. Witnesses also described seeing the shooting begin in front of the H&M store at the outlet mall.
The Allen Police Department confirmed that an officer who was responding to an unrelated incident in the area heard the gunshots and ran toward them. The department said that officer “neutralized” the shooter and called for emergency personnel.
"He heard gunshots, located the gunshots, located the shooter, neutralized the shooter, neutralized the threat," Allen police Chief Brian Harvey said. "We believe at this point the shooter acted alone."
Here is a map of the outlet mall, specifically where the shooting reportedly began in front of the H&M store and where the shooter was killed. It remained unclear Monday the shooter's path from the H&M area to the Fatburger area.
Who were the Allen outlet mall shooting victims?
As of Monday, May 8, all eight victims in the shooting have been identified by officials and family: The Cho family, Kyu, Cindy and their 3-year-old son James; sisters, 11-year-old Daniela Mendoza and 8-year-old Sofia Mendoza; Christian LaCour, 20; and Aishwarya Thatikonda, 27; and Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32.
LaCour was working as a security guard at the time of the shooting, his family said. The family said he lived in the Collin County city of Farmersville, which is located to the east of Allen.
A family representative spoke to WFAA about Thatikonda, who was an engineer who lived in McKinney, while her family resides in India. The representative said she was with a friend at the outlet mall when the shooting occurred. Her friend was injured in the shooting and is currently stable in the hospital.
Wylie ISD sent a letter to parents confirming the deaths of the Mendoza sisters, who both attended Cox Elementary School. The district also said the girls' mom, Ilda, remains in critical condition in the hospital.
"Words cannot express the sadness we feel as we grieve the loss of our students. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mendoza family, the families of the victims, and all those affected by this senseless tragedy," the district said.
Cox Elementary School principal Krista Wilson said the sisters were "rays of sunshine," according to the district's email.
New Song Church in Carrollton identified three members of the Cho family as victims of the mass shooting. According to a GoFundMe page, Kyu and Cindy brought their sons, 3-year-old James and newly-6-year-old William, to the outlet to swap out some clothes that William received for his birthday.
"Cindu, Kyu and three year old James were amongst those victims that tragically lost their lives and the family is in deep mourning," the page reads. "After being released from the ICU, their six year old son William is the only surviving member of this horrific event."
The GoFundMe page is raising money to help with funeral costs and other expenses.
At least seven other victims were injured in the shooting. Three have been identified by family and friends: IIda, who is the mother of the Mendoza sisters, along with 6-year-old William Cho, and Irvin Walker II.
According to the GoFundMe page set up for Walker II, he was driving past the shooter's car to find a parking spot when the gunman began shooting into the car. The GoFundMe states that Irvin was shot twice – once in the chest and once in the shoulder – but is in stable condition and expected to survive.
In a Thursday, May 11 update Medical City Healthcare provided information on five of the surviving patients, one has been released.
Four patients were still getting treatment at the Medical City McKinney location. Three are said to in fair condition and one patient is in good condition, according to the hospital.
Another person was sent to Medical City Plano. The Medical City official said the patient is expected to recover.
One other patient was at the Medical City Children's Hospital in good condition, but is no longer listed.
Who was the Allen outlet mall suspected shooter?
The Texas Department of Public Safety, which is investigating the shooting, identified the suspect as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia.
Sources said FBI agents have been looking into two locations in the shooting investigation: the Dallas home where Garcia lived with his parents, and an extended-stay hotel where he was staying recently.
A search warrant obtained exclusively by WFAA stated that Garcia's driver's license listed his current address as a Budget Suites of America in Dallas, which is an extended-stay hotel. Employees at the hotel confirmed he had been renting a room there, according to the warrant.
The search warrant for Garcia's hotel room was obtained as police stated they believed it could contain additional evidence.
An Army official told WFAA that Garcia had been in the U.S. Army in 2008 but was removed due to mental health concerns. Sources added that he espoused an extremist right-wing ideology and disliked people of color and Jews.
A bulletin was sent by the FBI to law enforcement agencies about Garcia and that "an initial review and triage of the subject's social media accounts revealed hundreds of postings and images to include writings with racially and ethnically motivated violent extremist rhetoric, including neo-Nazi material and material espousing the supremacy of the white race."
According to sources, the 33-year-old had been a licensed security guard. He most recently worked at an aluminum supply company.
What gun was used in the Allen mall shooting?
President Joe Biden in a statement Sunday said the suspect, Garcia, was "in tactical gear armed with an AR-15 style assault weapon" as he shot people at the Allen Premium Outlets mall.
Authorities have not released more information about the weapons the shooter had, but DPS confirmed in a news conference that Garcia was in possession of eight weapons when he opened fire at the outlet mall. Three of those weapons were found on his person, and five were found inside the vehicle he was driving.
Who was the officer that shot the suspect?
The officer who shot the suspect has not been publicly identified.
An attorney, Zach Horn, released a statement on behalf of the Allen officer.
"The officer sprinted towards high power rifle fire as everyone else ran away. He's a brave servant with a gentle heart that embodies the best the law enforcement profession has to offer," the statement read. "He's doing well and would appreciate privacy as he continues to process this life altering tragedy."
The Allen Police Department said there will be a ceremony to honor the "tremendous bravery" of the officer in the future once the investigation has concluded.
The officer was at the mall on an unrelated call, officials confirmed.
What did Texas leaders say about the Allen shooting?
Gov. Greg Abbott in an interview on Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream emphasized mental health as the "long-term solution" for gun violence in America.
"People want a quick solution," Abbott told Bream. "The long-term solution here is to address the mental health issue."
"One thing that we can observe very easily is that there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of anger and violence that is taking place in America," Abbott said. "And what Texas is doing in a big-time way is we are working to address that anger and violence by going to its root cause, which is addressing mental health problems behind it."
Abbott in a news conference Monday about the border and the end of Title 42 was asked about the Allen shooting.
"The first step to leading to some type of resolution here, as well as providing information about the response needed from the state of Texas, is to know exactly why and how this happened," Abbott said. "I believe in the coming days, the public will be much better informed about why and how this happened. And that will inform us as Texas leaders about next steps to take to try to prevent crimes like this from taking place in the future."
Congressman Keith Self, who represents Allen in the U.S. House, also issued a statement on his social pages.
In a tweet, Self said, "We are devastated by the tragic news of the shootings that took place at the Allen Premium Outlets today. Our prayers are with the victims and their families and all law enforcement on the scene."
More coverage of the Allen shooting: