The suspected gunman who killed eight people and injured at least seven others in an Allen, Texas, mall shooting Saturday was separated from the Army after three months, according to a service spokesperson. He never completed initial entry training.
The Texas Department of Safety, which is conducting the investigation into the shooting, identified 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia as the gunman who opened fire at the outlet mall just north of Dallas.
Garcia joined the military in June 2008 and was separated that same fall under a chapter that includes "designated physical or mental conditions," according to a service spokesperson speaking on background.
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"He was not awarded a military occupational specialty. He had no deployments or awards," an Army public affairs spokesperson told Military.com via email Monday. "We do not provide characterization of discharge for any soldier."
Rolling Stone reported Sunday that the FBI reviewed Garcia's social media accounts, which revealed "hundreds of postings and images to include writings with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist rhetoric, including neo-Nazi materials and material espousing the supremacy of the white race," citing an FBI bulletin.
Garcia was also reportedly wearing a patch with the letters "RWDS," or "right wing death squad," which is popular among extremists encouraging violence. The FBI bulletin said that Garcia was discharged specifically for "mental health concerns," Rolling Stone reported.
Military.com has not independently reviewed the bulletin. CNN and The Associated Press also reported that law enforcement agencies are probing Garcia's alleged extremist history.
A spokesperson for the Dallas FBI Field Office told Military.com that officials "aren't commenting yet on any of the information being reported" after Military.com specifically asked about the details published by Rolling Stone.
"That information is part of a confidential law enforcement report that was leaked to the media," said Melinda Urbina, a public affairs officer. "Our policy is not to comment on our intelligence products."
Garcia was killed at the scene by a nearby Allen police officer who responded to the call.
It was the second deadliest mass shooting this year according to CNN and occurred nearly a year after one of the state's deadliest mass shootings at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school.
-- Drew F. Lawrence can be reached at drew.lawrence@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @df_lawrence.
