At least 8 killed, 7 wounded in shooting at Texas outlet mall

The gunman in Saturday's mass shooting in Allen, Texas, has been identified as Mauricio Garcia, 33, a senior law enforcement source familiar with the investigation tells CNN's Josh Campbell. 

In addition to the AR-15 style weapon found near him, Garcia had at least one other weapon on him when he was fatally shot in front of the mall, the source tells CNN. Police also found multiple weapons in his car.

CNN talked with neighbors who witnessed FBI and police at a home with an address matching that of Garcia's parents Saturday night. Authorities arrived there about an hour after the shooting and blocked off the street for several hours, neighbors told CNN's Ed Lavandera

Garcia had been living in some form of temporary housing, according to the senior law enforcement source. The Dallas Morning News reports the suspect had been staying in an extended-stay hotel in Dallas.

The gunman who killed eight people at an Allen, Texas, outlet mall used an AR-15 style weapon, President Joe Biden said in a statement Sunday.

As previously reported, a photo from the scene obtained by CNN showed the suspected gunman dead on the ground near an AR-15 style rifle, armed with several extra magazines on his body. 

A Texas state senator whose district includes Uvalde blasted inaction on gun control by the state's Republican leadership in the wake of Saturday's mass shooting in Allen, calling it a “Texas nightmare.”

"It's a nightmare that they created. It's a chaos that they created," Democratic state Sen. Roland Gutierrez told CNN’s Jake Tapper Sunday.

On Saturday, Gutierrez had tweeted: “There is a special place in hell for people who watch all this happen and choose to do nothing,” along with the hashtag: “#bloodontheirhands.”

Gutierrez has been outspoken in the wake of the deadly mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, which left 19 students and two teachers dead.

CNN's Ed Lavandera, Elizabeth Wolfe and Sharif Paget contributed to this report.

The FBI is asking witnesses who have digital evidence from Saturday's outlet mall shooting to submit information to an online portal created in the wake of the mass shooting. 

The Texas Department of Public Safety is the lead agency in the shooting investigation, the FBI told CNN Sunday.

The bureau confirmed it "was present at two locations in Dallas," and is helping state and local police by "devoting all available resources to include investigative, intelligence, digital forensics, and victim services personnel among others."

Allen is a suburb of Dallas located about 25 miles north of the city.

Officials have released little information about their investigation into the massacre — including any potential motive. The shooting left at least eight people dead and seven more wounded.

President Joe Biden again urged Congress to pass legislation banning assault weapons and enacting universal background checks in a statement reacting to the mass shooting in Allen, Texas.

The president's statement also lists children among those killed. CNN has not independently confirmed whether children were among the dead, but CNN did report young children were being treated at the hospital.

"Once again I ask Congress to send me a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Enacting universal background checks. Requiring safe storage. Ending immunity for gun manufacturers. I will sign it immediately. We need nothing less to keep our streets safe," he added.

Biden said yesterday's violence "is too shocking to be so familiar." 

He also said he is grateful for the first responders on the scene, and that he has directed federal agencies to provide support to local officials as needed. 

Biden ordered flags at the White House and other federal buildings to half-staff to honor the victims through May 11. 

News of the shooting emerged yesterday evening as Biden headed to church. As he left the church, he told reporters who asked about the shooting that he was "unaware" of the situation. The President was later briefed that night when he returned to the White House. 

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says he has spoken to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Allen Mayor Ken Fulk after Saturday's deadly shooting outside an outlet mall.

Mayorkas declined to provide information about the shooter.

“I think it's under investigation. The state and local authorities are leading that investigation,” he said.

President Joe Biden has issued a proclamation honoring the victims of the mass shooting in Allen, Texas.

Biden ordered flags lowered to half-staff at the White House, on military bases and at all public buildings until May 11. 

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz expressed his condolences for the victims of the mall shooting in a tweet Saturday evening.

He added that his team was in contact with local officials.

Cruz also thanked "the incredible law enforcement who put a stop to the monster who committed this act of evil."

Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat, told Fox News Sunday that authorities need to find answers on what exactly led up to the deadly mass shooting at an Allen, Texas, outlet mall yesterday.

"There’s always telltale signs before, there’s indicators should have looked out for," he said.

Cuellar added that strict gun control measures have not ended mass shootings in blue states around the country, arguing more needs to be done to get to the root of the issue.

Some context: The attack in Allen, Texas, is one of at least 199 mass shootings in the US this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The archive, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people have been wounded or killed, excluding a gunman.

Texas has loosened restrictions on gun ownership in recent years amid several high-profile mass shootings that have devastated its communities. In 2021, legislation went into effect allowing most Texans who legally own a firearm to carry it openly in public without obtaining a permit or training.

A 2022 study found that states with weaker gun laws have higher rates of gun deaths, including homicides and suicides.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misidentified Rep. Henry Cuellar's political party. He is a Democrat.