The shooter with neo-Nazi leanings who gunned down eight people at a sprawling outdoor shopping mall in Allen on Saturday brought eight legally purchased guns to the scene, apparently chose his victims randomly, and was shot dead by police within four minutes, authorities say.
Allen Chief of Police Brian Harvey was joined at a news conference Tuesday by Texas Department of Public Safety North Texas Regional Director Hank Sibley and FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough, who all shared the latest in the unfolding investigation into the Lone Star State's latest mass shooting.
Harvey, stifling some emotion while addressing a room full of reporters Tuesday, said he was grateful to the North Texas community for their overwhelming show of support for the victims, their families, and first responders in the first 72 hours after the shooting.
Both Harvey and Sibley praised the unnamed Allen police officer who was responding to an unrelated call at the mall when he heard an eruption of gunfire. The officer ran toward the shooting and saved "countless lives" through his heroic action in killing the gunman.
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Harvey said the officer "distinguished himself in an exemplary manner, demonstrating tremendous bravery when he immediately addressed an attacker that was injuring and murdering innocent victims."
Sibley said if the officer hadn't been there, we'd have a "much more severe situation."
To me, it looks like he targeted the location rather than a specific group of people. He was very random in the people he killed. It didn't matter the age, race, or sex, he just shot people. Which is horrific in itself.
Hank Sibley, North Texas Regional Director, Texas Department of Public Safety
Harvey still hasn't revealed the officer's name, saying for now his identity will remain anonymous and that there will be a time to recognize his actions later.
"We know our community would like to thank and honor him, however, we are not prepared to release that officer's name due to the ongoing investigation and the officer has also expressed his appreciation for his privacy as he continues to process this tragic event," Harvey said.
Harvey also acknowledged the life-saving efforts of a security guard, Christian LaCour, who, "evacuated one individual to safety and was shot while courageously remaining to help others."
LaCour is one of the eight named victims in the mass shooting.
He was remembered Monday by an assistant manager at the mall's Tommy Hilfiger store who said LaCour worked to make employees at the mall feel safe and recently escorted her and two of her employees to their cars.
"He was very young, very sweet, came in all the time to visit with us," said Andria Gaither, assistant manager.
Harvey said Tuesday that investigators have wrapped up their work at the outlet mall and have turned the site back over to the property management company which will work with store owners to determine when shops will reopen to the public.
A reopening date has not yet been made public.
ALLEN MALL SHOOTING
7 WOUNDED CONTINUE TO RECOVER, 2 SHOW IMPROVEMENT
While the eight people killed in the attack were identified Monday, the community continues to await word on the seven people who were wounded.
Medical City Healthcare said Tuesday it was treating six patients at three hospitals and that two patients had shown improvement overnight.
The hospital now reports just one patient in critical condition at Medical City McKinney, down from three the day before. At the same hospital, one patient remains in fair condition and two others are listed in serious and good condition.
The conditions of an adult at Medical City Plano and a child at Medical City Children's Hospital remain unchanged Tuesday, with the adult in fair condition and the child in good condition.
Police said a seventh wounded person was taken to a different hospital. The condition of that person is not known.
MOTIVE FOR SHOOTING WILL REQUIRE MORE DIGGING
The investigation into the gunman's motive is ongoing, but it's been reported that he expressed neo-nazi beliefs and apparently washed out of the Army before finishing basic training.
"The big question that we're dealing with right now is, ‘What's his motive? Why did he do this?'" Sibley said. "Well, the big question is, we don't know. That's what the investigation is trying to find out."
Posts by the gunman on a Russian social networking site suggest that he planned the attack for weeks, but Sibley said it'll take more time to learn what they can about the gunman before they can say if the shooting was an act of domestic terrorism.
Sibley added that the gunman had no criminal history and that all eight of the weapons he brought to the mall had been obtained legally. The man had three on him and five others in the car, officials said.
"Even if he couldn't have purchased these firearms legally he probably could have obtained them illegally or used some other vehicle, literally a vehicle, to perpetrate something similar," Sibley said. "When you have people with mental illness, if it turns out that this gentleman has that, when you have that situation, they will find a way."
Sibley said Tuesday that as far as he knew, the gunman hadn't worked at the Allen mall, but that he wasn't completely sure of his work history. He said the man hadn't worked in the security business for some time, and that his private security license in Texas had expired.
He added that the man is believed to have worked alone and had no known confederates and that, so far, no statement or manifesto has been found.
Yarbrough said the FBI was currently working to analyze electronic devices and digital media connected to the gunman at their North Texas Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory.
POLICE RECOMMEND THE PUBLIC MAKE USE OF SUPPORT, CRISIS SERVICES
Additionally, the FBI's Victim Services Response Team has been deployed and includes 20 specially-trained personnel to work with local organizations to provide essential support and assistance to those impacted by the tragedy. Yarbrough said the team has provided resources and services to more than 100 people in 30 families and that they escorted more than 1,100 people to recover their vehicles from the mall parking lot.
Anyone present at the mall on Saturday is encouraged to visit the Allen Senior Recreation Center and utilize the city's support and crisis services. More information about both can be found on the city's website. Personal effects found outside of retail stores can be retrieved at the senior center Tuesday and Wednesday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
The FBI continues to ask that people who have information, videos, or photos to share call them at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324).
Lastly, police warn that there have been multiple fake fundraisers found and that before you make a donation to any cause be sure that the one being considered has been vetted and is legitimate.
With the outpouring of support for the victims of the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets, GoFundMe has launched a centralized hub for all verified fundraisers related to the shooting. The online fundraising platform said it was working around the clock to make sure that all funds donated go directly to survivors or the families of victims.
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