Texas shooting perpetrator's links to white supremacism being investigated

Photo: Stewart F. House/Getty Images

One day after shooting that killed eight people at a mall in Allen, Texas, the identity of the attacker is still unknown, who was killed by the police although, according to the media, its possible links to the ideology of white supremacy are being investigated.

This was confirmed this Sunday by The Wall Street Journal, based on police sources with knowledge of the investigation.

The attacker killed eight people and injured seven others. after opening fire on dozens of people who were shopping at the Premium Outlets in Allen, a city near Dallas (Texas). He used an AR-15 rifle in the attack.one of the most popular in the United States and which has been used to perpetrate various massacres.

According to the aforementioned newspaper, the attacker carried more weapons, was dressed in a bulletproof vest and carried numerous ammunition. More than 100 fired cartridges were found at the crime scene.

Authorities searched a hotel where he is believed to have been staying and found more ammunition there.

The Texas Department of Public Safety is leading the investigation and has asked witnesses who have digital evidence of the shooting to submit information.

The shooter was shot dead by a local police officer who was at the Allen Premium Outlets when he heard the shots. It is not yet known how many minutes the perpetrator of the latest massacre that has once again shocked American society was acting.

President Joe Biden declared this Sunday five days of national mourning after the shooting"as a sign of respect for the victims of senseless acts of violence."

ordered that The flag of the United States flies at half mast at the White House, at all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, as well as at embassies and other official facilities abroad, "until sunset on May 11," he explained.

The mandatary again called on Congress to act to stop the "epidemic" of weapons. “Once again I ask Congress to send me a bill that bans assault weapons and high capacity magazines,” he said.

Biden also asked that the law contain measures such as universal background checks, the requirement of safe storage of weapons or the end of the immunity of arms manufacturers.

“We need more action and more speed to save lives. Too many families have empty chairs at their dining tables (…) and the Republican members of Congress cannot continue to face this epidemic with a shrug ”, he pointed out.

“The leading cause of death for American children is gun violence,” Biden added in the statement, after learning that at least one of the victims of the Allen massacre is a five-year-old boy.

The United States has suffered at least 199 mass shootings so far this year.according to the organization Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as those in which four or more people are killed, not including the perpetrator of the attack.

After publishing a message of condolence yesterday, the governor of Texas, the Republican Greg Abbott, emphasized this Sunday in an interview on Fox News the need to address the increase in "anger and violence" and blamed mental health problems for the increase in violence.

“What Texas is doing in a big way is we are working to address that anger and violencebut going to its root cause, which is addressing mental health issues,” he said.

“People want a quick fix. The long-term solution here is to address mental health,” he added, without referring to Biden's call for gun-restricting laws.

In Texas there are no limits to the amount of ammunition that can be purchased and it is completely legal for an 18 year old to purchase an assault rifle.even though federal law requires you to wait until you're 21 if you want to buy a gun.

Also carrying an AR-15 rifle was Salvador Ramos, the 18-year-old who barricaded himself in the already famous Robb de Uvalde Elementary School in South Texas on May 24 last year, killing 21 people.

Keep reading:
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• There are at least 9 dead, including the gunman, in the mass shooting at a shopping center in Texas
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