No, that doesn’t appear to be a gang tattoo on the suspected Allen shooter’s hand

ALLEN, Texas — Almost immediately after the deadly Allen outlets mall mass shooting happened on Saturday, May 6 , videos and photos alleging to depict the victims and deceased suspect began to circulate on social media. Many of the posts on the matter showed graphic images of the shooting and its aftermath. One of the widely circulated videos, which WFAA has not shown on air or online, appeared to show the shooter, deceased and lying still on the ground, after he had been shot and killed by police.

Those images of the suspect, later identified Mauricio Garcia , 33, sparked rumors on Twitter that he had gang affiliations. U. S.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a frequent conspiracy theorist on social media, tweeted that the suspect “appears Hispanic with what looks like a gang tattoo on his hand. ” (While her tweet remains posted, the images she initially shared with it have been removed, seemingly for violating Twitter guidelines.

) So: What do we know about Garcia and any alleged gang ties he may have had? Let’s Verify it. THE QUESTION Did the Allen mall suspected shooter have a gang tattoo on his hand? THE TATTOO While we’re not showing the image here, the tattoo on Garcia’s hand appears to represent the “Triple D” logo used by the City of Dallas. You can see the logo in the upper left-hand corner of the city’s website in the below screenshot.

According to the Dallas Municipal Archives , the logo was first used as part of an annual budget presentation on August 10, 1972. The logo consists of a a three-ringed “D” with a broken connection on its left-hand side, and with a three-leafed “tree” placed inside of the empty space in the middle. The “tree,” per the municipal archives, “is meant to symbolize the quality of living in Dallas, and also to project a feeling of greenery, growth and concern for the environment.

” WHAT OUR SOURCES ARE SAYING While officials have said they had evidence showing Garcia followed a Nazi ideology , law enforcement sources told WFAA that their investigation has not yielded any information showing that Garcia had any specific gang ties. Sources also confirmed to WFAA that the City of Dallas logo is not known to have any gang affiliations. So, what do we know about Garcia? According to a search warrant obtained exclusively by WFAA, investigators found several handguns, long guns and ammunition inside Garcia’s gray 2014 Dodge Charger at the scene of the shooting.

The warrant did not list the weapon that was used. Later Saturday night, there were multiple FBI agents inside a home in the northeast patrol division of Dallas, and there were Dallas police outside. Multiple sources said this is the home where the suspected shooter, Garcia, lived along with his parents.

The search warrant stated that Garcia’s driver’s license listed his current address as a Budget Suites of America in Dallas, which is an extended-stay hotel. Employees at the hotel confirmed Garcia had been renting a room there, according to the warrant. The search warrant for Garcia’s hotel room was obtained because police stated they believed his residence contained additional evidence.

An Army official confirmed to WFAA that Garcia had been in the U. S. Army in 2008 but was removed due to mental health concerns.

“Mauricio Garcia entered the regular Army in June 2008,” U. S. Army Public Affairs Spokeswoman Heather J.

Hagan said in a press statement. “He was terminated three months later without completing initial entry training. He was not awarded a military occupational specialty.

He had no deployments or awards. We do not provide characterization of discharge for any soldier. ” An Army official further tells WFAA that Garcia was “separated under the 2005 edition of Army Regulation 635-200, paragraph 5–17, Other designated physical or mental conditions.

” Law enforcement sources added that their investigation has found that Garcia espoused an extremist right-wing ideology and disliked people of color and Jews. According to sources, the 33-year-old had also worked as a licensed security guard. He most recently worked at an aluminum supply company, sources confirm.

THE ANSWER According to multiple law enforcement sources, there is no evidence to suggest Garcia had gang ties, and there is no evidence to suggest that the tattoo he had on his hand is an indication that he did. More coverage of the Allen mall shooting coverage:.