In a busy weekend shopping day, a lone gunman opened fire Saturday in a Walmart and around a nearby shopping mall in El Paso, Texas, leaving 20 people dead and more than two dozens injured and prompting calls for urgent blood donations in light of the high number of injuries, law enforcement officials said.
The suspect which is identified as Patrick Crusius, 21, of Allen, Texas, surrendered to officers, police said. The suspect had posted a “manifesto” and the shooting was being investigated as a hate crime. Though he gave no details about the contents of the manifesto.
El Paso, a nine-hour drive from the Dallas area, situated at the U.S.-Mexico border.It has a population of 6,80000 of which 83% are Hispanic. and have a large population of immigrants especially from Central America, seeking asylum in the United States.
On weekends the city attracts a big crowd mostly shoppers from Mexico, including from its Mexican sister city Ciudad Juarez. Mexican authorities says three Mexicans were killed in the shooting and a six more injured.
This year, this is the 21st mass killing in the United States and the fifth public mass shooting.
