At least 20 people are dead and 26 others are injured after a gunman opened fire at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday.
The precise motive behind the massacre remains to be declared, and while initial reports included statements potentially implicating multiple assailants and possible gang involvement in the attack, authorities on the ground are now pointing to the likelihood that the mass shooting was in fact a hate crime.
Devastating attack
At 10:39 a.m., authorities were called to reports of shots being fired at the Walmart near Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, which is located just along the U.S.-Mexico border, roughly five miles from a key checkpoint with Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. As such, the commercial area is frequented by shoppers from Mexico each and every day.
Released video shows a male entering the store holding an AK-47-style rifle at the shoulder and wearing ear protection. He proceeded to brutally gun down those in his path, killing 20 and injuring 26 more yet-unidentified individuals. In some sense, it is miraculous that he didn’t claim more lives. According to Sgt. Robert Gomez, who gave a news conference once the situation was under control, the attack occurred when the store was “at capacity,” which has been estimated at 100 employees and up to 3,000 shoppers.
A massive police response, which included the FBI, began at 10:45 am, and they were able to quickly apprehend the suspect. He surrendered without incident and is reportedly cooperating with the investigation.
Alleged gunman named
The suspected shooter has since been identified by law enforcement as 21-year-old Patrick Crusius of Allen, Texas, a suburb of Dallas.
At this point, not much is known about Crusius. Records show that he graduated from Plano Senior High School in 2016 and that he went on to Collin College in the fall of 2017, where he remained until this past spring.
After being apprehended, police took Crusius into custody, where he was reportedly “forthcoming with information.” Meanwhile, the FBI raided his Allen home and interviewed people in the neighborhood.
“Nexus” to hate crime
Of course, the big question on everyone’s mind is Crusius’ motivation. While authorities have not said conclusively what prompted the attack, it appears increasingly likely that his conduct may have what law enforcement officials are calling a “nexus” to a hate crime.
Officials have cited a document linked to Crusius which declared the attack to be a response to the “Hispanic invasion of Texas.”
Given the information known thus far, it is not surprising that John Bash, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, said that his team of prosecutors will be conducting their investigation with an eye toward bringing hate crime charges as well as federal fire arms charges that bring the possibility of the death penalty upon conviction. Bash added that the case is being treated as a domestic terrorism matter deserving of “swift and certain justice.” A state capital murder charge is also being pursued against Crusius.
El Paso District Attorney Jaime Esparza did not mince words about the magnitude of the tragedy, saying, “The loss of life is so great we have never seen anything like this in our community.” Esparza added, “He is eligible for the death penalty, we will seek the death penalty.”
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