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'Disgruntled' lawyer found with nazi items after rampage

The gunman who fired indiscriminately at people and vehicles outside a US shopping centre was wearing a nazi uniform.

Nine-people were wounded after lawyer Nathan Desai began his pre-dawn shooting rampage last Monday morning in Houston before being killed himself by police.

"Multiple officers engaged the suspect, who was shooting randomly at passerbys as well as anybody he could put his sights on," Houston Homicide Captain Dwayne Ready said.

He added that while preliminary investigations have not uncovered a link between the deceased gunman and any known terrorist organisations officers had found nazi symbols on his clothing and personal items in his abandoned Porsche Boxter.

The 46-year-old attorney open fired on innocent bystanders on Monday morning. Photo: Linkedin
The 46-year-old attorney open fired on innocent bystanders on Monday morning. Photo: Linkedin

The disgruntled lawyer is not believed to have targeted any particular group during his rampage but was firing at any moving target in his field of vision.

Witness Antoine Wilson told KTRK-TV he was driving through the area and was caught in the crossfire between police and Desai.

“I literally heard the gunshots past my face," Wilson said. "It’s a hard pill to swallow."

“As I was driving by Law Street I suddenly hard a big explosion," another witness said. "I covered myself, accelerated and tried to get out of there."

Desai, 46, began firing his .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun and a tommy gun at incoming police arriving at the scene, before being killed.

Houston Homicide Captain Dwayne Ready said Desai was in possession of more than 2,500 rounds of live ammunition.

Police later confirmed that a bomb squad was used to investigate a nearby Porsche Boxter, registered in Desai’s name, where they located additional weapons and ammunition.

The weapons included a number of antique items, some dating back to the American Civil War, with investigators stating they are unsure if the nazi items found indicated any affiliation with the group or if they were simply collector's items.

Houston police investigate a nearby car registered to Nathan Desai. Photo: Facebook
Houston police investigate a nearby car registered to Nathan Desai. Photo: Facebook

While Capt Ready said police were yet to establish a motive, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said he believed DeSai was "disgruntled" and was "either fired or had a bad relationship with this law firm".

The shooting comes days after a shooting at a Washington state mall that left five people dead.

It is Texas’ 19th mass shooting in 2016.