May 8 top stories
It is May 8. Here are today’s top stories.
Updates on Texas mall shooting
Here are updates on the mass shooting at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas on Saturday in which eight people were murdered by a man carrying an AR-15 style rifle. I did a news video about it on Sunday.
AP News said according to its sources, the gunman is Mauricio Garcia (33). He was killed by police.
His social media posts show that he supported white supremacist and neo-Nazi views. He had a patch on his chest that read, “RWDS,” which is short for “Right Wing Death Squad,” which is a popular concept among right-wing extremists. He used to serve in the U.S. military but was removed due to concerns about his mental health. He used to work as a security guard and took firearm training courses.
Two of the victims were identified. Christian LaCour was a 20-year-old security guard at the mall. Aishwarya Thatikonda was a 27-year-old woman that worked as an engineer in Texas while her family resides in India.
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President Biden called on Congress to work quickly to send him a bill to require safe storage for guns and enhance universal background checks for gun buyers.
Car plows into people in Texas, killing 8
On Sunday morning in Brownsville, Texas, a man who was driving an SUV ran a red light, hit a curb, and plowed into a group of people who were waiting at a bus stop, killing eight. All of those who were hit were migrants from Venezuela.
Videos of the crash scene show victims with horrific injuries. The SUV had a broken windshield and many dents on it. The crash scene was near a center that supports homeless people and migrants.
Police said they arrested the driver, who is a resident of Brownsville, and charged him with eight counts of manslaughter. His name is George Alvarez. Police believe he lost control. There were some who said he may have intentionally plowed into the crowd, possibly because of anti-immigration sentiments, but it doesn’t seem like police think that’s what happened.
Woman survives on wine after being stranded
In Australia, a 48-year-old woman named Lillian Ip was rescued after being stranded in dense bush for five days. She only had a few snacks with her and a bottle of wine that she meant to give to her mother. She doesn’t drink.
Ip said she only meant to drive a short distance but ended up going in the wrong direction and her car became stuck in the mud. She said she thought she would die and that she wrote a letter to her family saying she loved them. But fortunately, emergency services that did an aerial search was able to spot her car and the woman.
Emergency services said it was a good thing that Ip stayed with her car and didn’t wander off into the bushland. Ip was taken to a hospital to get treatment for dehydration and is now back home.
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DUI suspect kills deputy, himself
On Sunday in Glenwood, Wisconsin, a suspected drunken driver was pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy Kaitie Leising. The suspect, Jeremiah Johnson, pulled out a handgun and shot at the deputy. The deputy, despite being hit, drew her own weapon and shot Johnson three times as he ran into a wooded area, but none of the bullets hit him.
Others in a nearby vehicle stopped and tried to save Leising’s life, but she was pronounced dead at a hospital. She was 29.
An hour after the shooting, other officers heard a gunshot in the woods and saw the suspect fall to the ground. He committed suicide and was 34 years old.
Leising’s fellow officers and other first responders honored her by saluting her during a solemn procession.
TSA dog handler investigated
A TSA agent who was working with a dog as a part of the explosion detection team at the Detroit Metro Airport was caught on video aggressively pulling at the dog’s leash as the agent paced back and forth. The dog lost its balance each time the agent pulled at the dog.
The video went viral on social media and many felt bad for the dog and angry towards the TSA agent.
TSA said in an official statement that “the behavior displayed by this handler is unacceptable and not within the high standards we hold our officers to.” The TSA said they removed the agent from handling duties as they investigate.
The TSA said it directed Detroit Metro Airport officials to take the dog to a veterinarian for a wellness exam.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://apnews.com/article/shooting-outlet-mall-allen-texas-cf100ef3cfc6e3c2e687119c06191b87
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-65524218
https://www.axios.com/2023/05/07/biden-assault-weapons-texas-shooting
https://abcnews.go.com/US/7-dead-after-car-runs-pedestrians-brownsville-texas/story?id=99152817
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/07/us/car-pedestrians-brownsville-texas.html