At least 9 victims, including gunman, in Allen Texas mall shooting

A center to offer people support services and crisis assistance will open in Allen on Monday in the wake of Saturday’s mass shooting, officials said.

The Family Assistance Center was scheduled to open at 10 a.m., the FBI said in a statement. The FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are among those assisting in Allen.

Authorities also said they would resume efforts Monday to reunite people with their vehicles that were left at Allen Premium Outlets.

The Dallas Mavericks urged people Sunday to demand action from legislators on gun violence after mass shooting in Allen.

The NBA team said in a statement that it offered its support to Allen and that “we understand this is not enough.”

“As guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens in America, the mass shooting that happened yesterday has become an unfortunate reality,” the Mavericks said.

“It is our duty to turn words into action to address this multifaceted and growing problem,” the team said.

The Mavs, who did not advocate for any policy in Sunday’s statement, urged people to contact federal, state and local representatives “to demand action and save lives.”

Allen is around 25 miles north of the team’s home court, American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas.

ALLEN, Texas — Around 100 people gathered at the Allen outlet mall Sunday for a vigil for those killed and injured in Saturday’s mass shooting.

Holding candles, they assembled at a memorial by Allen Premium Outlets.

“I never thought this would happen in Allen, Texas. We’re suburbs; we’re love. We’re Black, we’re white, Hispanic. But we’re all together," Allen community leader Cheryl Jackson, 54, said of the city of around 106,000.

A prayer vigil was also held at a church in Allen on Sunday. "Our hearts were broken yesterday," Mayor Ken Fulk said.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday called a Texas mall shooting that killed eight people a senseless act of violence and urged Congress to strengthen gun safety laws.

“While there is much we do not yet know about this attack, here is what we do know: all Americans deserve to be safe from gun violence. But they are not. Not because we do not know the solutions. Not because the American people are divided on this issue — even a majority of gun owners support sensible reforms,” Harris said in a statement.

President Joe Biden earlier also expressed his condolences to the victims, and he asked Congress “to send me a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.” The president also called for universal background checks and safe storage measures.

Authorities are investigating the Allen outlet mall massacre as a case of racial or ethnically motivated violent extremism, two senior law enforcement officials said Sunday.

Officials believe the suspect, Mauricio Garcia, 33, acted alone, one of the officials said.

The two law enforcement officials said a preliminary review of what are believed to be the suspect's social media accounts reveal hundreds of posts that include racially or ethnically motivated violent rhetoric, including neo-Nazi material and content espousing white supremacy.

The officials stressed that the investigation was ongoing. The preliminary review found the gunman's posts were not liked or shared by other users.

WARNING: Some viewers may find this content disturbing

Dashcam video, which police confirm is authentic, shows the moment a gunman leaves his car and opens fire on people standing outside stores at Allen Premium Outlets in Allen. The outlet mall, a popular regional attraction for residents and tourists across North Texas, as well as from neighboring states, was humming, like thousands of other malls across the U.S., on a sunny May afternoon.

ALLEN, Texas — Mayor Ken Fulk said at a vigil Sunday night the city has set up a fund for victims and their families.

The city is also partnering with an organization called LifePath Systems to offer free mental health services to anyone in need.

"Our hearts were broken yesterday," Fulk told the people who had assembled to pay tribute to the dead, "and we are here to offer you our support."

DALLAS — The Dallas Stars canceled a watch party that had been planned during their road playoff game Sunday night in the plaza outside their home arena, which is less than 30 miles from the mall where eight people were killed Saturday.

While Game 3 of the NHL Western Conference playoff semifinals went on as scheduled Sunday night against the Kraken in Seattle, the Stars said they opted against having the watch party outside the American Airlines Center “out of respect for the victims, families and community of Allen.”

Coach Pete DeBoer, speaking in Seattle during the team’s morning skate Sunday, said the Stars were “heartbroken.”

Allen Premium Outlets, a sprawling outdoor shopping center, is about 14 miles from the Stars’ practice facility and offices in Frisco, Texas. DeBoer, in his first season as coach, said that his family shops there and that Stars players go there, as well.

“It’s really close to home obviously, and just tragic,” DeBoer said. “Frankly, when you hear victims as young as 5 years old, you just, you get tired of hearing it. I think when you hear Sandy Hook and Parkland and Nashville, you know, unless it’s in your backyard, you compartmentalize it and put it aside. And then when it happens in your backyard, you realize, you know, the horror of it.”