The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
May 9, 2023

Texas Gunman Was Rejected from Army, Had Nazi Tattoos But Purchased AR-15 Legally
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Texas, public anger is growing over the lack of information being
shared by investigators as they piece together details about the
33-year-old gunman who killed eight people and wounded seven others
during a mass shooting in the Dallas suburb of Allen on Saturday. In
social media posts, the gunman revealed he had a swastika and an SS
symbol tattooed on his body, and he frequently espoused racist views,
including praise for Adolf Hitler and other mass killers. In 2008, the
gunman joined the U.S. Army but was terminated three months later for
unspecified mental health issues. The gunman never faced a background
check before legally purchasing firearms from private sellers in Texas,
including the AR-15 assault rifle used in the attack.

On Monday, more victims of the massacre were identified. They include
Daniela and Sofia Mendoza, two elementary school-age sisters whose
mother was shot and remains in critical condition, and Kyu Song and
Cindy Cho, a Korean American couple who were killed along with their
3-year-old son James. Their 6-year-old son William has been
hospitalized. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have already
been 202 mass shootings in the United States this year, on average more
than one per day.


.