The first of the events occurred in the city of Allen, when a man opened fire in a shopping mall, killing eight people and wounding seven others last Saturday.
According to a CBS News report, investigators are checking the suspect’s social networks for clues to see if he may have had ties with violent extremists or like-minded elements.
The perpetrator used an assault-style weapon, possessed several rounds of ammunition, wore armored ballistic equipment and had a patch on his clothing with the letters “RWDS,” which stands for “Right Wing Death Squad,” an alleged neo-Nazi group.
The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed that the shooter, who was killed by a law enforcement officer, had been identified as Mauricio Garcia, 33.
Even before the confusion generated by the tragedy was cleared up, eight people waiting at a bus stop in a border town of the same state were killed and at least 10 others were injured when a vehicle rammed into them early Sunday morning.
The victims, some of whom are believed to be migrants, were near a facility belonging to Catholic Charities in Brownsville known as the Ozanam Center, a law enforcement official told NBC News.
Brownsville is one of the border cities that is expected to experience an increase in migrants attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico when Title 42, under which asylum seekers are quickly removed, ends next Thursday.
Ozanam Center shelter director Victor Maldonado told local television station KRGV that he reviewed surveillance video after the incident and that the hit-and-run “looked like an intentional act.”
However, Mayor Trey Mendez stated that what happened was still unclear.
ef/jav/mgt/ifs