Police ID Gunman In Sunday’s Deadly West Houston Shooting Spree As Army Veteran Dionisio Garza III — Father Blames PTSD

The crazed gunman behind the deadly shooting spree at a Houston auto detailing shop on Sunday has been identified as an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and his father has advised the media that his actions could possibly have been because he was suffering from the symptoms of PTSD.

The shooter has been identified by local media outlets as 25-year-old army veteran Dionisio Garza III of San Bernardino County, California. The identity of the gunman was learned after investigators found his backpack on Monday, close to the scene of the shooting and discovered Garza’s personal papers inside. KTRK reported that the certificate and military discharge record, which showed he had been discharged back in 2014 after reaching the rank of sergeant, of the army veteran were among the papers. Dionisio Garza III is also said to have been the recipient of several awards, including the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, earning two campaign stars and the Army Achievement Medal.

Authorities ID man killed in shooting on Memorial Drive in west Houston https://t.co/HP0WOmgWRG #HouNews

— HPMpolitics (@HPMpolitics) May 31, 2016

The report indicated that many persons are puzzled as to why it took investigators over 24 hours to locate and collect the backpack from the scene of the crime. It was the news team that reported the find. The possibility actually exists though, that they were aware of the evidence and this is why on Monday, the Police decided to return to the scene of the deadly shooting spree in west Houston. Among the evidence and personal papers collected was also several documents, bullets, and a military bag.

The shooting on Sunday began with PTSD affected Dionisio Garza III simply shooting randomly for over an hour in the middle class Houston neighborhood. The first victim was identified as 56-year-old Eugene Linscomb was the only one killed — having been shot in the head — before the army veteran began his shooting spree. The Houston Chronicle reported that one couple who were at the car wash and managed to escape were only spared because “y’all are Christians,” but said the gunman spewed passionate rhetoric against homosexuals, Jews, and Walmart. The scene was utter chaos as persons scrambled for cover.

The shots fired injured three bystanders, one female and two males, along with two constable deputies from Harris County Precinct 5, who engaged the suspect in the shootout. Initial reports stated that also injured was a possible second shooter, but police later cleared the armed man of any involvement. He was a licensed firearm holder who tried to assist by shooting at Garza during his spree. The gunman also managed to successfully shoot a helicopter five times with a high powered rifle. The army veteran’s shooting spree finally came to an end when he was killed by a SWAT officer.

All those wounded are expected to make a full recovery.

Oh, just a mass shooting spree w assault rifle in Houston, punctuated w anti-gay & anti-Semitic remarks. La la la! https://t.co/39S7vsDboa

— David Waldman – @KagroX@mstdn.party (@KagroX) May 31, 2016

The army veteran’s father said he believes PTSD was the cause of his son’s breakdown and that he had become increasingly troubled in recent months. A Twitter account which seemed to belong to the Garza was laden with obscenity filled posts insulting London’s Muslim mayor Sadiq Khan, praising Donald Trump and bringing into question the U.S. dollar’s strength. The gunman’s stepmother also believes that PTSD was a contributing factor, stating that after two tours in Afghanistan the army man never seemed the same and his father supported those words.

“You know he was rambling off about the economy collapsing, you know… And that something was going to happen by Monday, that kind of stuff. Of course you look back now and there were signs. There were signs.”

The Houston neighborhood had to be put on lockdown during the shooting and police said that the shooting also caused a fire at a nearby gas station after gunfire hit a pump. Today, that gas station is a charred mess.

No motive for the shooting spree the army veteran went on has been released to the public.

[Image via Facebook]