2023 Allen, Texas, mall shooting

On May 6, 2023, at approximately 3:36 p.m. CDT, a mass shooting occurred at Allen Premium Outlets, an outdoor shopping mall in Allen, Texas, located about 25 miles north of Dallas. A gunman exited a silver sedan wearing black tactical gear and began shooting into a crowd near the H&M store, then moved along the building continuing to fire. Witnesses described him as firing indiscriminately, discharging dozens of shots and hitting 15 people within three to four minutes. A store employee described customers and employees being sheltered in backrooms, and a military veteran attempted CPR on multiple victims as first responders struggled to triage the wounded at the scene.

Nine people died, including the shooter: Kyu Song Cho, 37; Shin Young "Cindy" Kang, 35; James Cho, 3; Aishwarya Thatikonda, 27; Daniela Mendoza, 11; Sofia Mendoza, 8; Christian LaCour, 20; and Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32. Seven others were injured, with three in critical condition; victims treated at Medical City Healthcare facilities ranged in age from 5 to 61. As of May 10, authorities had not released identifying information about the wounded, though other sources indicated the injured included the mother of two of the deceased sisters and a surviving child from a family of Korean descent.

An Allen police officer who was already at the mall on an unrelated call heard the gunfire and engaged and fatally shot the gunman. According to the autopsy, the shooter was struck three times — in the head through the mouth, the arm, and the ear — with the mouth wound being immediately fatal. Three firearms were recovered from the shooter's body and five more from his vehicle; all eight guns had been purchased legally. He used an FN FN15 AR-15-style rifle during the attack.

The shooter was identified as Mauricio Martinez Garcia, 33, of Northeast Dallas, who had previously worked as a security guard and briefly served in the U.S. Army before being administratively separated after three months due to mental health concerns. He had no criminal history. Garcia wore a tactical vest patch reading "RWDS" ("Right Wing Death Squad") and had tattoos including SS runes and a swastika. His online activity, primarily on the Russian platform Odnoklassniki, showed self-radicalization into white supremacist, neo-Nazi, and incel ideologies, including hateful commentary about women, Jews, and racial minorities, and praise for other mass shooters. His specific motive was not established by authorities, who described his ideology as involving "neo-Nazi ideation."

On June 26, 2023, a grand jury cleared the officer who shot Garcia of wrongdoing, finding the use of force justified under state law. Body camera footage from the officer was released on June 28, 2023. In the aftermath, community vigils were held, a temporary memorial of crosses was erected near the mall, and student walkouts protesting gun violence took place in several North Texas schools. A permanent memorial was installed at the mall one year later, on May 6, 2024.