The gunman who killed eight people at a Texas outlet mall on Saturday was a failed soldier who the U.S. Army had kicked out of training and was not considered a veteran by the Pentagon.
"He is not a veteran," Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters in response to a question from VOA on Tuesday at the Pentagon. "According to federal regulations, with this individual, in terms of the time of service, would not qualify."
Dismissed from training
Mauricio Garcia, 33, served in the Army for three months in 2008 and was dismissed from infantry training at Fort Benning in the U.S. state of Georgia due to a mental health issue, a U.S. Army official and another military official told VOA on condition of anonymity to describe personnel records.
The officials referred to Garcia's dismissal as an "uncharacterized discharge," an entry-level discharge that is deemed neither honorable nor dishonorable.
His dismissal came at a time when the U.S. Army was surging recruiting efforts to add nearly 170,000 new recruits, using bonuses and other incentives to entice soldiers as the Army and U.S. Marine Corps were bearing the brunt of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, a "veteran" is described in Title 38 of the United States Code as a "person who served in active-duty military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable."
Active duty is defined as full-time duty "other than for training purposes." Exceptions can be granted for persons without active-duty time who were physically injured during military training.
Garcia's uncharacterized military discharge would not have been flagged in any potential background check, as only military personnel with dishonorable discharges are federally banned from owning firearms.
Tattoo of a swastika
During the shooting, Garcia wore a vest with a patch on his chest that said, "RWDS," which officials say is an acronym for "Right Wing Death Squad."
According to the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, Garcia had expressed white supremacist beliefs for years in social media posts.
Photos he posted showed large Nazi tattoos on his arm and torso, including a swastika and the SS lightning bolt logo of Hitler's paramilitary forces.
At least half of the victims were of Asian or Hispanic ethnicity, and several children were killed in the attack. The massacre ended when police shot and killed Garcia.
The latest mass shooting follows continued warnings from the Department of Homeland Security that the United States is mired in "a heightened threat environment," with little hope that things will get better over the next several months.
"Lone offenders and small groups motivated by a range of ideological beliefs and/or personal grievances continue to pose a persistent and lethal threat to the homeland," the department warned in a National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin issued in November.
Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.
