Texas Shooting, Derby Winner, and America's Best Lake Towns

Texas Mass Shooting

At least eight people were killed and seven others injured after a gunman opened fire in an outlet mall in a Dallas, Texas, suburb over the weekend. The suspect was killed at the scene after a shootout with police. 

Officials had not publicly released information regarding the victims as of this writing, though early reports suggest those killed or injured ranged in age from 5 to 61 years old. A motive for the attack has also not been determined, though some sources say officials are investigating online posts made by the shooter promoting white supremacy. The shooter, identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, was said to have premeditated the attack, having arrived at the mall with a semi-automatic rifle, at least one handgun, and body armor.

Explore a database of mass killings—defined as at least four deaths, excluding the offender, regardless of the type of attack—since 2006 here.

Brownsville Crash

At least eight people were killed and multiple others injured after an SUV crashed into a bus stop outside Brownsville, Texas, yesterday. Some initial reports suggested the incident may have been a targeted attack due to the fact the stop was adjacent to a migrant processing facility; as of this writing, officials have not said whether the crash was intentional or accidental or released details regarding the driver. 

The town of Brownsville is the easternmost border checkpoint between the US and Mexico (see map) and has seen an influx of migrants attempting to cross the border in recent months. Some reports suggest as many as 15,000 migrants entered the country crossing the Rio Grande river in the past week alone. 

Separately, the US is poised to end a pandemic-era border policy known as Title 42 that allowed officials to quickly expel migrants on public health grounds Thursday. Learn more about the policy here. 

Mage Wins Derby

Mage, a grandson to the 2008 Derby winner, won the 149th Kentucky Derby Saturday at 15-1 odds in his fourth career start, only the fourth horse to ever win with only three previous starts. The race saw five horses scratched from the lineup—the most since 1936—including race favorite Forte, amid a 10-day stretch where seven horses died at Churchill Downs, including two on race day. 

Four horses were euthanized throughout the week after suffering race injuries, while a fifth broke its neck after flipping several times in its paddock. Two others, both trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., mysteriously collapsed and died after races; Joseph was later suspended pending an investigation. Naturally standing animals, horses rarely recover fully from leg injuries, typically requiring euthanization.

The high number of equine fatalities comes amid a downward trend in the sport's rate of fatal injury, which has seen a decline for four consecutive years. The Preakness Stakes, the next leg in the Triple Crown, will take place May 20.

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