Source: Army booted Texas mall gunman over mental health
The man accused of killing eight people and wounding several others in a mass shooting at a suburban Dallas shopping mall over the weekend apparently had been working as a security guard and was discharged from the U.S. Army in 2008 because of mental health issues, according to neighbors and an Army official.
Lawyer: El Paso shooting suspect has 'mental disabilities'
Patrick Crusius has been diagnosed with severe, lifelong neurological and mental disabilities and was treated with antipsychotic medication following his arrest moments after the massacre in El Paso, his attorneys wrote in a court filing. The court record also states Crusius was in special education for much of his schooling, but does not elaborate on his mental health. Crusius was arrested soon after the Aug. 3 shooting. Soon before the attack, he posted a racist screed online that railed against Hispanics coming to the U.S., according to prosecutors. Federal prosecutors are opposing the request and have said the Attorney General will decide whether to seek the death penalty.
DA: Walmart mass shooting suspect will face new charges
EL PASO, Texas The man accused of killing 22 people at a Walmart in Texas is expected to be reindicted Thursday as he faces another murder charge in the mass shooting that targeted Mexicans, prosecutors said. Patrick Crusius of Allen, Texas, is currently being held without bond on one count of capital murder of multiple people under Texas state law. Esparza said Crusius will also face more counts in relation to the dozens of people injured in the shooting. Were reindicting the defendant to include the additional death and to include all of those injured in the Walmart shooting in order to give the next DA all of their options, Esparza added. Crusius already faces the death penalty on a state capital murder charge to which he pleaded not guilty last year.
Walmart hires off-duty officers ahead of El Paso reopening
(Mark Lambie/The El Paso Times via AP, File)Walmart has quietly hired off-duty officers at its stores in El Paso, Texas, where a gunman police say targeted Mexicans opened fire in a store in August and killed 22 people. More than 3,000 people from largely Latino El Paso and neighboring Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, were at Walmart when the attack happened. There was a time that Walmart hired off-duty officers and for some time prior (to) August 3rd that ceased, said El Paso police spokesman Enrique Carrillo, in an email. Pay for the off-duty officers is about $50 per hour depending on their rank, or about double their hourly wage. The reopening of the El Paso store also comes as Walmart has dipped its toe in the gun debate.
Walmart hires off-duty officers ahead of El Paso reopening
FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2019, file photo, an employee crosses into the crime scene following a shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. Walmart has quietly hired off-duty officers at dozens of its stores across El Paso, where a gunman opened fire in August at one of the retail giant's locations and killed 22 people. The move comes as Walmart plans Thursday, Nov. 14, to reopen the store where the attack happened amid ongoing lawsuits over safety. (Mark Lambie/The El Paso Times via AP, File)Walmart has quietly hired off-duty officers at all of its stores across El Paso, Texas, where a gunman opened fire in August at one of the retail giants locations and killed 22 people. El Paso police union president Ron Martin says members have been working as hired security at all Walmarts in the city since days after the shooting.
Suspected El Paso gunman pleads not guilty
New details are out on the incarceration of the El Paso shooting suspect. EL PASO, Texas - The man accused of carrying out a killing spree at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, pleaded not guilty Thursday to capital murder charges. The 58-year-old El Paso resident used to consider herself an active, happy person. He had no apparent ties to the area, but according to the US Census Bureau, 83% of El Paso residents are Hispanic or Latino. CNN's Sara Weisfeldt reported from El Paso and CNN's Eliott McLaughlin wrote from Atlanta.
El Paso shooting: Prosecutor plans to pursue death penalty
New details are out on the incarceration of the El Paso shooting suspect. (CNN) - The man accused of opening fire in an El Paso, Texas, Walmart, killing 22 people and wounding several others, has been indicted on a capital murder charge, the El Paso County District Attorney's Office said following the grand jury's Thursday decision. District Attorney Jaime Esparza intends to seek the death penalty in the Aug. 3 massacre, according to a statement. Capital murder is the highest charge in Texas, Esparza's office said, and is punishable by death or life in prison without parole. The 21-year-old is being held at the El Paso County Detention Facility without bond.
El Paso shooting suspect on suicide watch
New details are out on the incarceration of the El Paso shooting suspect. EL PASO, Texas - Patrick Crusius, the suspect in the deadly shooting in El Paso, Texas, has been placed on suicide watch based on the recommendation of medical staff at the jail, according to the El Paso Times which cited an official with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. Crusius, 21, of Allen, Texas, is being held without bond on capital murder charges in the shooting that left 22 people dead and more than a dozen wounded. While in custody, Crusius has been "cold" in his interactions with police, police officials told CNN. The four-page document, titled "The Inconvenient Truth," was published on the online message board 8chan about 20 minutes before the shooting, authorities said.
Sources: El Paso targeted due to distance from hometown
(CNN) - The man accused of killing 22 people at an El Paso Walmart last weekend claimed he targeted the city, in part, because he wanted distance between the target and his hometown on the other side of Texas, three sources with knowledge of the investigation said. Patrick Crusius, the detained suspect in Saturday's shooting, told investigators this was one reason why he chose El Paso, the sources said. El Paso police officials would not comment about the sources' accounts. Crusius, 21, is accused of driving about 11 hours from his home in Allen, Texas, to the Walmart in El Paso, in far western Texas abutting the Mexican border. About 83% of El Paso's residents are Hispanic or Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
How online hate inspires domestic terrorism
DETROIT - As the country mourns, we've learned more about the dark digital world that's become a breeding ground for domestic terrorism. "I think that's why you've seen this uptick in domestic terrorism and domestic violence. In July, the director of the FBI said the agency has made about 100 arrests related to domestic terrorism since October. "A majority of the domestic terrorism cases that we've investigated are motivated by some version of what you might call white supremacist violence," said FBI director Christopher Wray. While investigators believe the motivation for the El Paso shooting was hate, authorities in Dayton are still trying to determine that shooter's motivation.
El Paso suspect's mother called police concerned about gun
A woman touches a cross at a makeshift memorial for victims outside Walmart, near the scene of a mass shooting on Aug. 3 which left at least 22 people dead, on Aug. 6, 2019, in El Paso, Texas. (CNN) - The El Paso shooting suspect's mother called the Allen, Texas, Police Department weeks before the shooting because she was concerned about her son owning an "AK" type firearm, lawyers for the family confirmed to CNN. It is not known whether the gun the mother inquired about is the weapon used in the attack. According to police, Crusius opened fire at an El Paso Walmart last Saturday killing 22 people and injuring more than two dozen others. He has been charged with capital murder and is being held without bond at the El Paso County Detention Facility.
Survivor: Shoppers begged El Paso gunman not to kill them
But on this morning, a man in khakis brandishing a gun roamed the store in El Paso after opening fire in the parking lot, leaving bullet casings and blood scattered all over. Crusius put his hands up and identified himself as the shooter, El Paso police Sgt. Crusius, 21, bought his "7.62-caliber weapon" near the suburb of Dallas where he lived and drove about 11 hours from his Allen home to the El Paso Walmart, police said. He had no apparent ties to El Paso County, where 83% of residents are Hispanic or Latino, according to the US Census Bureau. He has been cooperating with authorities since his arrest and has volunteered evidence, El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen said.
Family: El Paso gunman's actions influenced 'by people we don't know'
The family of the gunman in the El Paso shooting spesks out. The man took about 11 hours to drive from his Allen home to the El Paso Walmart, Allen said. Trump is set to visit El Paso on Wednesday, a plan that was met with backlash from the El Paso County Democratic Party, which in an open letter asked him to cancel his trip. "Since the start of your Administration, El Paso has been ground zero for many of the cruel immigration-related policies enacted by you in your efforts to punish, demonize and terrorize immigrants and immigrant communities," the letter, signed by El Paso County Democratic Party Chairwoman Iliana Holguin, read. CNN's Eliott C. McLauglin reported from El Paso, Texas.
El Paso Man Threw Bottles at Walmart Gunman to Distract Him
An El Paso native is being hailed a hero after getting shot in the Walmart massacre Saturday while throwing bottles at the gunman in an attempt to distract him from targeting others. To deter him I started just chucking bottles, I just started throwing random bottles at him, Grant on Monday told CNNs Chris Cuomo from his hospital bed at University Medical Center. Grant was shot twice near his rib cage before the shooter moved on to other shoppers. I did what any good man would have done.RELATED STORIESArmy Vet, Teen and Young Mom Shielding Infant Son Among Victims of Dayton and El Paso ShootingsWhat Is 8chan, the Message Board Where El Paso Suspect Allegedly Posted About Massacre Plans? Man Says He Carried Lost Children to Safety in El Paso Shooting
Army Vet, Teen and Young Mom Shielding Infant Son Among Victims of Dayton and El Paso Shootings
Andre, 23, and Jordan, 24, died shielding their infant son, Paul, from the bullets spraying the unsuspecting crowd. FacebookDavid Johnson, 63, also died shielding his family from the gunfire, his family said. A lifelong resident of El Paso, Arthur had worked as a bus driver for Sun Metro, the citys public transit system. Uniformed officers on patrol in the area responded the shooting and shot and killed Betts within one minute, authorities said. Life had been going according to plan for Turner when it was tragically cut short, his loved ones told People.
America Mourns After 2 Mass Shootings Kill 31: Today on Inside Edition
Two shootings in less than 24 hours have left 31 dead and America in mourning. In Dayton, Ohio, gunman Connor Betts, 24, killed nine people in just 30 seconds before cops fatally shot him. But Betts' fantasies of murder date as far back as high school, when he scrawled a hit list on a bathroom wall. In El Paso, Texas, suspect Patrick Crusius allegedly posted a manifesto on the message board 8chan before killing at least 22 people. RELATED STORIESMother Reportedly Died Shielding Her Baby in El Paso ShootingMan Says He Carried Lost Children to Safety in El Paso ShootingThese 2 People Survived the Garlic Festival and Las Vegas
El Paso shooter wrote 'manifesto'
CNN Video(CNN) - A 21-year-old man stepped out of his vehicle unarmed and walked up to law enforcement officials shortly after a shooting inside an El Paso, Texas, Walmart on Saturday. He has been charged with capital murder and is being held without bond, El Paso Police Sgt. With the hate-filled writing, which authorities called a 'manifesto,' were the words: "I'm probably going to die today." He also wrote that he worked as a bagger at a grocery store for five months until he lost his mode of transportation. Suspect's grandparents are 'devastated'In a statement delivered by a family spokesperson, the suspect's grandparents said they were "devastated" by the El Paso incident and "pray for the victims of this tragedy."