Texas mall shooting witness is not credible, police say

A gunman killed eight people at a mall in a suburb of Dallas, Texas two weeks ago

Police in Texas are disputing the account of a witness who described in great detail the aftermath of a deadly shooting at a shopping mall.

Steven Spainhouer told US media outlets he arrived at the Allen Premium Outlets near Dallas before first responders and gave medical aid to victims.

On Friday, police said they had determined he was not credible.

Mr Spainhouer defended his original recollection and told CBS News Texas that he stood by it.

A gunman killed eight people and injured seven others in the attack on 6 May.

In an interview with CBS, which was quoted by the BBC, Mr Spainhouer had described how he ran to the scene after getting a call from his son who said there was gunfire. He said there was "unfathomable carnage" at the mall when he arrived in the car park and that he gave CPR to some victims.

He also recounted seeing a young girl who "had no face" and a boy covered "head to toe" in blood, who he said was hiding beneath the body of his deceased mother.

The Allen Police Department said there were inconsistencies between the public accounts Mr Spainhouer had given, and the facts established in its investigation.

It said it had conducted a follow-up interview with Mr Spainhouer after he spoke to the media. The department said he was not the first to arrive at the scene, was not there while shots were being fired, and did not provide medical aid to the victims. It also said he "did not move a deceased mother who was covering a live child".

"As inaccurate reports can be prevalent in such situations, it is essential to confirm information before sharing it," police said. "Please take note of this to prevent unintentional spreading of misinformation."

On Saturday, Mr Spainhouer responded to the police statement about his account and said he was "hurt and disappointed".

"I know what I did and did not do while waiting on the Allen Police and Fire Departments," he wrote in a Facebook post. "I know that there were individuals who were deceased and could not be treated with CPR. I know because I was there."

He argued that he could not have known if there were first responders there before he arrived.

Police are investigating whether the gunman, named as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, had far-right links. During the attack, he wore a clothing patch with the letters RWDS, which stands for Right Wing Death Squad, a phrase popular among white supremacy groups.

Photos he apparently posted also showed Nazi tattoos on his arm and torso.

Six people, including children, were pronounced dead at the scene in the north Dallas suburbs, while two died later in hospital. Three members of one family, a young security guard, and an engineer from India were among those killed.