We don’t generally focus on a suspect in a mass shooting, but have been inundated with requests to do just that with this case. It may be in part due to the fact that officials gave a very brief and somewhat useless press conference on Saturday. With that, we will discuss what we currently know about this suspect.
The suspect got out of his vehicle and opened fire immediately on people in the area, and made is way around one side of the mall until he was shot and killed by an officer who was already at the same location on another call.
As a result of the horrible attack, 8 people were killed and 7 others injured, including children.
Here is what we know, and don’t know, about the suspect.
We now know his identity
The suspect has been identified by police, but we will not be publishing his name. He was a 33-year-old who lived in Dallas, TX.
He worked as a security guard
According to a report from CBS, the suspect worked as a security guard, although it is not known where this employment was, or for how long.
In recent weeks, he stayed at a hotel
Police also searched a hotel room where the suspect was staying for an extended period of time, which would line up with some neighbors telling reporters that they haven’t seem him at his parent’s home as often as they typically do. If I had to guess, he stayed at the hotel in order to plan out his attack uninterrupted.
He lived with his parents
The suspect reportedly lived with his parents, and lived at their home for as long as some neighbors can remember. Police and FBI agents were at the home this evening, removing multiple evidence boxes from the home. They have also been interviewing family members, and asked for a translator to help with their progress.
He wore a security-type outfit often
Neighbors who spoke with reporters said that the suspect regularly wore outfits that resembled that of a security officer, and he would also regularly be seen walking up and down the street wearing a hoodie. He was described as quiet and didn’t talk to anyone, as well as having very strange behavior.
He wore tactical gear and had numerous magazines during the attack
Based on video of what appears to be the deceased suspect, he can be seen lying on the ground on his back. Next to him is a rifle supposedly used in the attack, and he had at least 6 30-round magazines around his torso. It is unclear exactly what he was wearing in the video, but likely consists of some sort of bulletproof vest.
He drove to the mall and pulled up front before starting his attack
Dashcam video from a vehicle in the parking lot shows the suspect exiting his vehicle and immediately opening fire on people in the area. Shots can be heard as the vehicle recording with the dashcam is reversing to get out of harm’s way.
It is not known if the vehicle he was driving was his, or what police found in the vehicle after they searched it.
