20 Dead in El Paso Massacre – Police Chief Says There is a “Nexus to Hate Crime”

El Paso shooter suspect

Published August 4, 2019

EL PASO, Texas — Shoppers at a Walmart Supercenter in El Paso were met with tragedy as a gunman, armed with an A.K.-47-style rifle, brutally fired into the store, filled with shoppers just before 11 a.m. – MDT on Saturday morning.

At least 20 people were killed, with another 26 injured. Hospital officials said late Saturday afternoon that three of the injured are facing life-threatening injuries.

The shooting suspect is a  21-year-old white male from Allen, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. There is no immeidate knowledge if the suspect has a connection to El Paso, which is a nine-hour drive from Allen. The suspect was arrested without incident at the scene of the horrific crime. As of Saturday evening, law enforcement believe he was the “sole shooter.”

Shoppers exit with their hands up after a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, U.S. August 3, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Salgado

At a press conference Saturday evening, El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen said investigators were reviewing a manifesto that may have been written by the suspect that indicates a “nexus to a hate crime.” Chief Allen said it is too early in the investigation to identify a motive in the brutal murders.

Officials said there were some 3,000 customers at the Walmart that is located at the Cielo Vista Mall, one of El Paso’s most popular malls, particularly among Mexicans who cross the U.S. border to shop there.

Walmart officials posted this tweet on Twitter on Saturday afternoon: