The gunman in the mass shooting at Allen Premium Outlets was shot by a police officer a total of three times and tested negative for drugs and alcohol on the day of the massacre, according to an autopsy report obtained Tuesday by The Dallas Morning News.
The autopsy, conducted by the Collin County medical examiner’s office, says the 33-year-old shooter was struck in the mouth, which was “immediately fatal” as the bullet hit his brain. The other two shots struck his right ear and right arm.
The autopsy also said his toxicology report came back positive for caffeine, but negative for common illicit drugs and alcohol.
Mauricio Garcia opened fire outside the mall on the afternoon of May 6, killing eight people and wounding at least seven others. The victims killed were Kyu Cho, 37; Cindy Cho, 35; James Cho, 3; Daniela Mendoza, 11; Sofia Mendoza, 8; Christian LaCour, 20; Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32; and Aishwarya Thatikonda, 26.
The autopsy report noted the shooter had multiple tattoos, including a swastika. Reviews of his social-media profiles showed he had an obsession with violence and extremist ideology, including admiration for Adolf Hitler and misogynistic views.
He was killed less than five minutes after the first shots were fired by an Allen police officer who was nearby on an unrelated call.
Body camera footage released last month shows the officer speaking to two children about seatbelt safety in the mall’s parking lot when roughly 20 shots sound in the distance. Alone, he grabs a rifle from his patrol car and starts running toward the commotion. The shots continue in bursts.
“They’re still shooting,” the officer says into his radio. “I’m on foot, I need everybody I got.”
The officer keeps moving, at one point passing H&M, where multiple bodies lie on the ground — blurred in the footage — before he stops in front of Watch Station.
“I don’t know where he’s at,” he says, scanning the mall.
Then, after another volley of gunfire echoes, he sees the gunman, aims his rifle and fires more than 10 shots.
“Shots fired by police, I got him down!” the officer yells. Shortly after, to another responding officer, he questions himself: “Is he down?”
The footage ends as the officers hover over the body of the gunman, who is bleeding on the sidewalk in front of Fatburger.
“We got him.”
The officer, whose name has not been publicly released, has repeatedly declined interview requests through his attorney. He was cleared last month of wrongdoing by a Collin County grand jury.
“The officer recognized the danger, ran toward the gunfire and neutralized the threat — and for his actions, the Allen community is forever grateful,” Allen police Chief Brian Harvey said previously in a news release.
With the help of heightened security and therapy dogs, the mall reopened May 31.
In the months since the massacre, employees, customers and first responders say the trauma has lingered — reverberating into Allen and across North Texas.
Staff writer Lauren McGaughy contributed to this report.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas- at the bottom.
