The Allen Police Department released body camera footage Wednesday of the officer who fatally shot the May 6 mass shooter who killed eight people and injured several others at an outlet mall in Texas.
Amid the horror and chaos of the shooting, the officer, who was at the Allen Premium Outlets on an unrelated call, heard the sound of gunshots, grabbed his weapon, moved towards the shooter and killed him, body camera video shows.
“This video shows how quickly a routine interaction with the public turned into a life-and-death situation,” Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey said in a news release. “The officer recognized the danger, ran toward the gunfire and neutralized the threat – and for his actions, the Allen community is forever grateful.”
Mauricio Garcia, the man who opened fire at the busy shopping mall, was killed a few minutes after he started shooting. He had no previous criminal history.
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Officer Moves Towards the Gunfire, Shoots Attacker
The edited video – which blurs out the faces of civilians and victims, and some language was removed – begins with the officer talking to a family of three when the sound of gunfire goes off.
“145, I think we got shots fired at the outlet mall,” the officer said as he grabbed his weapon. “Now people running.”
The officer then moved towards the gunshots. “145, I believe we got a mass shooter,” he said.
When the officer spotted Garcia, he yelled for him to drop the gun. Shortly after, he fired a couple shots at Garcia. “Shots fired by police, I got him down.”
Grand Jury Finds Police Department’s Use of Force Was Justified in Texas Shooting
The police department released the footage after a grand jury ruled the police department’s use of deadly force was justified under Texas law.
On Monday, Texas Rangers and the Collin County District Attorney’s Office presented evidence to the grand jury. After reviewing the facts, the grand jury returned a “no bill” Tuesday, which indicated that the use of force was justified.
