A 21-year-old white man from Allen, near Dallas, was arrested after surrendering to officers at the scene, Police chief Greg Allen said. The shooter appeared to have bought the firearm legally, Allen confirmed at a press conference on Sunday.
The El Paso County district attorney Jaime Esparza said on Sunday that the state charge would be capital murder and that the state would seek the death penalty for the shooter.
Twenty people were killed and a further 26 were injured on Saturday in a shooting near a shopping mall in El Paso, Texas.
The US Attorney for the Western District of Texas John Bash said on Sunday that they would treat the case as “domestic terrorism” and do “what we do to terrorists in this country which is deliver swift and certain justice.”
“manifesto”
The police chief said the police were analysing a “manifesto” that US media reported contained anti-immigrant and white nationalist language. The document was being treated as “a potential nexus to a hate crime,” police said.
Governor Greg Abbott told reporters that the tragedy was “one the deadliest days in the history of Texas.”
Law enforcement were first alerted of the shooting at a Walmart store near the Cielo Vista mall in El Paso, Texas, at 10:39 am local time. At about 3:30 pm local time, El Paso police department Sgt Gomez said the area was locked down and there was no longer a threat to the public.
“We’re in shock over the tragic events,” Walmart tweeted, adding: “we’re working closely with law enforcement and will update as appropriate.”
The Walmart store, which had at least 100 employees present at the time, is to remain closed for the coming days, with Chief Allen explaining that “the scene will be in play for a long period.”
Watch the press conference below:
[vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvmDb7_cwkw” align=”center”]
The police department tweeted that blood was “needed urgently”. They said “multiple injured” were transported to various hospitals.
A hospital spokesperson for the Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso stated that at least 11 people had been transferred there on Saturday.
“We will continue to utilize all available resources to respond to this senseless act of violence,” the Mayor of El Paso, Dee Margo tweeted.
Adair and I are devastated by the tragic events unfolding in our City. Our hearts go out to the victims and gratitude to our first responders. We will continue to keep you updated. pic.twitter.com/AKzgwtVWgs
— Mayor Dee Margo (@mayor_margo) August 3, 2019
A family reunification centre was set up for family members, El Paso police confirmed, a donation page was created by the authorities “to support the victims and families of this needless violence.”
Three of the fatalities and six of the wounded are Mexican nationals, according to Mexican authorities.
No law enforcement person fired a weapon, Sgt Gomez told reporters.
Police told people to avoid the Cielo Vista mall in a series of tweets on Saturday morning local time due to an active shooter. Earlier the El Paso police tweeted that there were multiple reports of “multiple shooters.” Later they said there was only one shooter.
Texas’ governor Greg Abbott said in a statement: “our hearts go out to the victims of this horrific shooting.”
He said the state had deployed troopers, special agents, tactical teams and aircraft.
People were stranded as police secured the area, according to local US news reports. El Paso is a city of more than 600,000 people located on the US’ southern border with Mexico.
US President Donald Trump said he had spoken with the state’s governor “to pledge total support of Federal Government” and described it as “an act of cowardice.”
“There are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing innocent people,” he added.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador offered his “condolences to the families of the victims, both American and Mexican.”
Lamento los hechos ocurridos en El Paso, Texas, pueblo vecino y hermano de Ciudad Juárez y de nuestra nación. Envío mis condolencias a los familiares de las víctimas, tanto estadounidenses como mexicanos.
La SRE y nuestro consulado están actuando y brindando apoyo. pic.twitter.com/5099IP5i1m
— Andrés Manuel (@lopezobrador_) August 3, 2019
shooting in Dayton, Ohio.
A few hours later, a shooting in Dayton, Ohio, resulted in the death of nine people. the two incidents come less a week after a shooting at a garlic festival in Northern California killed three people and injured 15.
Sister of Dayton gunman and her boyfriend are found shot dead in a car hours after the 24-year-old opened fire outside a crowded bar, murdering 9 and injuring 27 within ONE MINUTE before cops killed him
- Suspected gunman, Connor Betts, 24, opened fire at bar in Ohio, police said
- Nine people were killed and 27 others were injured at Ned Peppers Bar in Dayton
- Witnesses described seeing ‘white man dressed in all black’ firing an AR weapon
- Shortly after 7am on Sunday, police revealed the man was wearing ‘body armor’
- Lt Col Matt Carper said cops who were in area shot gunman in less than a minute
- Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said gunman was carrying a .223-caliber rifle and had additional high-capacity magazines with him; suspect opened fire from street
- Police issued search warrant on Betts’ home and are trying to establish motive
- While no motive has been established, police found writings that suggest Betts had an interest in killing people
- It was later revealed that his sister, Megan, and her boyfriend were shot dead
- Police said they found the bodies in a car, but didn’t release other information
- Victims identified as: Lois Ogelsby, 27, Saeed Saleh, 38, Derek Fudge, 57, Logan Turner, 30, Nicholas Cumer, 25, Thomas McNichols, 25, Beatrice Curtis, 36,
- Monica Brickhouse, 39, who leaves behind a six-year-old son, was also killed
The sister of the Ohio gunman and her boyfriend have been found shot dead in a car just hours after the 24-year-old opened fire in a crowded bar, killing nine and injuring 27 others in less than a minute.
Dayton authorities identified the gunman as Connor Betts, who was wearing body armor when he gunned down patrons at the Ned Peppers Bar in the Oregon District of Dayton, Ohio, around 1am on Sunday.
Officers arrived to the scene immediately, and were able to ‘put an end to it quickly’, Lt Col Matt Carper said at a press conference.
Betts, of Bellbrook, was identified as the suspect around noon. He was shot to death by responding officers.
Because officers were in the area when the shooting started, they killed Betts in ‘less than a minute,’ authorities said.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said during a Sunday morning press conference that had police not responded so quickly,
‘hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today’.
Police released the identities of the victims Sunday afternoon: Lois Ogelsby, 27, Saeed Saleh, 38, Derek Fudge, 57, Logan Turner, 30, Nicholas Cumer, 25, Thomas McNichols, 25, Beatrice Warren Curtis, 36, and 39-year-old Monica Brickhouse.
The mayor said a community vigil is planned for the victims at 8pm on Sunday evening.
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