‘RWDS’: What the Patch Found on the Texas Gunman’s Chest Stands For

The man who police believe killed at least eight people at a mall in Allen, Texas on Saturday afternoon wore a tactical vest with a “RWDS” patch on it, sources told The Washington Post on Sunday. The acronym, which stands for “Right Wing Death Squad,” is a popular insignia among white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and paramilitarists.

No motive in the shooting has formally been established by police, but the presence of the patch—among other factors—has reportedly contributed to authorities approaching the mass shooting as a possible hate crime or domestic terrorism incident.

The suspected gunman, identified as a 33-year-old man named Mauricio Garcia, has no prior criminal record. But, according to FBI records obtained by Rolling Stone, his social media accounts contained “hundreds of postings and images to include writings with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist rhetoric, including neo-Nazi materials and material espousing the supremacy of the white race.” The outlet also reported that Garcia may have had ties to a local neo-Nazi group.

Read more at The Daily Beast.