SOURCE: ARMY BOOTED TEXAS MALL GUNMAN

The man accused of killing eight people and wounding several others in a mass shooting at a suburban Dallas shopping mall was discharged from the Army in 2008 because of mental health issues and apparently had been working as a security guard, according to neighbors and an Army official.

Authorities on Monday were trying to piece together what led to the attack Saturday in Allen, which ended when police shot and killed the suspected gunman, who was identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Garcia joined the Army in 2008 but was terminated three months later without completing his initial training, said U.S. Army spokeswoman Heather Hagan, who added that the Army doesn’t disclose the reason for any soldier’s discharge.

According to an Army official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues, though, Garcia was kicked out of the Army due to mental health issues.

Federal officials are looking into whether Garcia expressed an interest in White supremacist ideology, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official cautioned that the investigation is in its early stages.

Federal agents have been reviewing social media accounts that they believe Garcia used, as well as posts that expressed interest in White supremacist and neoNazi views, said the official, who could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Garcia also had a patch on his chest when police killed him that read “RWDS,” an acronym for the phrase “Right Wing Death Squad,” which is popular among right-wing extremists and White supremacy groups, the official said.

In addition to reviewing social media posts, federal agents have interviewed family members and associates of Garcia to ask about his ideological beliefs, the official said.

Investigators are also reviewing financial records, other online posts they believe Garcia made and other electronic media, according to the official.

The attack happened at Allen Premium Outlets, a sprawling outdoor shopping center about 25 miles north of downtown Dallas. At least one witness said he saw what appeared to be someone in a security guard’s uniform among the dead. Another said the suspected gunman appeared to be wearing all black.

On the Dallas block where Garcia had been living at a family home until recently, neighbors said Garcia apparently worked as a security guard and that they would sometimes see him wearing his dark-colored work uniform.

None of the neighbors knew where Garcia worked.