At least 19 people were reportedly killed and 40 others, including a four-month-old baby, were wounded on Saturday after a gunman reportedly opened fire inside a Walmart in El Paso.
One suspect is in custody. He has been identified in press reports as Patrick Crusius, a 21-year-old man from Dallas.
Crusius is allegedly the man seen in surveillance footage walking in through the front entrance of the Walmart with an AK-47 assault rifle.
The gunman is seen wearing what appears to be either headphones or ear defenders.
Law enforcement sources told The Washington Examiner that Crusius ‘shot and killed locals that were fundraising outside the Walmart selling water. Children and adults.’
The authorities have yet to officially confirm the identity of the suspect.
El Paso Mayor Dee Margo confirmed that there were multiple fatalities.
One suspect in Saturday’s mass shooting in El Paso is in custody. He has been identified in press reports as Patrick Crusius, a 21-year-old man from Dallas. Crusius is allegedly the man seen in surveillance footage walking in through the front entrance of the Walmart with an AK-47 assault rifle
The gunman is seen wearing what appears to be either headphones or ear defenders during the shooting on Saturday
Crusius is seen above in a photograph that was reportedly taken after his arrest in El Paso on Saturday
Panicked shoppers flee the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso on Saturday after a gunman opened fire inside a nearby Walmart
Local reports indicate that at least 22 people were killed in the shooting in El Paso on Saturday
Kendall Long (left) comforts Kianna Long (right) who was in the freezer section of a Walmart during the shooting
Del Sol Medical Center said the hospital received 11 victims – nine of them listed in critical but stable condition.
Two of those treated were in stable condition.
The University Medical Center of El Paso received 13 patients, a spokesperson said.
Two minors, including a two-year-old, were stabilized and transferred to El Paso Children’s Hospital.
The victims’ conditions ranged from minor injury to fatal.
Reports on social media indicate that a manifesto written by the alleged shooter has been making the rounds on various web sites.
Shortly after, Sgt. Enrique Carrillo, a police spokesman, said a suspect was in custody and there was no longer danger to the public.
A local NBC affiliate, KTSM-TV, is reporting that at least 18 people were killed.
The image above is from a video posted on social media showing a terrified shopper hiding while the gunman fired his weapon in El Paso on Saturday
A number of local businesses, stores, shops, and restaurants were placed on lock down during the shooting
The photo on the left shows a shopper running for cover during the shooting in El Paso on Saturday. The photo on the right shows an officer helping a shopper away from the scene. It appears there are blood stains on the shopper’s clothing
The local Walmart (seen in the above stock image) is located near the Cielo Vista Mall
Walmart issued a statement on its Twitter account which read: ‘We’re in shock over the tragic events at Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, where store 2201 & club 6502 are located’
‘Active Shooting Stay away from Cielo Vista Mall Area. Scene is Still Active,’ the police department tweeted on Saturday
Later on Saturday, El Paso police said there were ‘multiple reports of multiple shooters’
Earlier on Saturday, the police tweeted: ‘Active Shooter in area of Hawkins and Gateway East.’ Hawkins and Gateway are two streets that flank the Walmart. El Paso police later confirmed that the active shooter was inside a Walmart
Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic presidential candidate and former U.S. congressman who represented El Paso, tweeted: ‘Truly heartbreaking. Stay safe, El Paso’
O’Rourke’s successor, House Rep. Veronica Escobar, tweeted: ‘Utterly heartbroken by the developing news in El Paso. Monitoring the situation and in communication with our law enforcement. Please stay safe.’
Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted: ‘In El Paso, the Texas Dept. of Public Safety is assisting local law enforcement & federal authorities to bring this tragedy to the swiftest & safest possible conclusion.’
Trump tweeted: ‘Terrible shootings in ElPaso, Texas. Reports are very bad, many killed. Working with State and Local authorities, and Law Enforcement.’
Pence Tweeted: ‘Saddened by the loss of so many innocent lives in El Paso, TX. Our praters are with the victims, their families, and the entire community. Grateful for the courageous efforts and swift action by federal law enforcement and local first responders’
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives announced that it has dispatched federal agents to the scene to assist local law enforcement
Hawkins and Gateway are two streets that flank the Walmart. El Paso police later confirmed that the active shooter was inside a Walmart, according to USA Today.
At least three other businesses in the area were also on lock down, including a Red Lobster franchise and a Hooter’s location.
One witness said he saw at least one person inside the store with a fatal head wound, and he saw shoppers in bloodied clothes.
Video posted on Twitter showed customers at one department store being evacuated with their hands up.
‘Hands in the air!’ an officer can be heard shouting in the footage.
‘We heard shots and saw smoke,’ said Victor Gamboa, 18, who works at the McDonald’s inside the Walmart store where the shooting took place.
‘I saw a man on the floor full of blood. He appeared to be dead. It happened very quickly.’
Gamboa said employees sheltered customers who huddled on the ground during the shooting rampage.
They were on the ground for some 15 minutes until officers arrived and led the survivors to a Sam’s Club across the street.
A family of three was one of a dozen waiting outside a local bus station, trying to get back to their car, in blocked-off Walmart parking lot.
‘I heard the shots but I thought they were hits, like roof construction,’ said Adriana Quezada, 39, who was in Walmart with in the women’s clothing section with her two children.
She said she saw four men, dressed in black, wearing shirts, moved together firing guns indiscriminately.
‘I saw four men, shooting everywhere,’ Quezada said.
‘I told my son, those are gunshots.’
Her daughter, 19, and son, 16, threw themselves on the ground, then ran out of the Walmart through an emergency exit.
They were unhurt.
Evan McMorris-Santoro, a reporter for the Vice news site, tweeted that he was at a town hall event for House Rep. Veronica Escobar when it was shut down due to the situation nearby.
Morris-Santoro clarified that the scene was ‘not close to us.’
Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic presidential candidate and former U.S. congressman who represented El Paso, tweeted: ‘Truly heartbreaking. Stay safe, El Paso.
‘Please follow all directions of emergency personnel as we continue to get more updates.’
After his tweet, O’Rourke said he was distraught by the news of the mass-shooting in his hometown.
An emotional O’Rourke told reporters on Saturday in Las Vegas that he had spoken by phone to El Paso Mayor Dee Margo, the city’s sheriff and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar.
He says they were still learning details about the attack at or near the Cielo Vista Mall, in which police say multiple people were killed and a suspect was taken into custody.
O’Rourke said he planned to return home immediately to be with his family.
He asked ‘for everyone’s strength for El Paso right now. Everyone’s resolve to make sure that this does not continue to happen in this country.’
O’Rourke’s successor, House Rep. Veronica Escobar, tweeted: ‘Utterly heartbroken by the developing news in El Paso.
‘Monitoring the situation and in communication with our law enforcement. Please stay safe.’
Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted: ‘In El Paso, the Texas Dept. of Public Safety is assisting local law enforcement & federal authorities to bring this tragedy to the swiftest & safest possible conclusion.
‘We thank all First Responders for their courageous response & urge all area residents to remain safe.’
The White House says President Trump has been briefed on the shooting and has spoken to Attorney General William Barr and Abbott.
Trump tweeted: ‘Terrible shootings in ElPaso, Texas. Reports are very bad, many killed. Working with State and Local authorities, and Law Enforcement.
‘Spoke to Governor to pledge total support of Federal Government. God be with you all!’
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo voiced his outrage over the shooting too, but also issued a damning indictment of Washington and the Trump administration for failing to take a hard-line stance on gun-control and against the NRA.
‘My heart breaks for the victims of the horrific shooting in El Paso earlier today,’ Cuomo began.
‘While President Trump cowardly kowtows to the NRA, the gun violence epidemic is tearing apart our nation and people are dying.
‘Thoughts and prayers will not stop this madness. In New York, we stand up to the NRA. We stand up for the safety of children. We stand up for sanity.
‘It’s past time leaders in Washington did the same. Until they do, these senseless murders will continue,’ Cuomo added.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also added they were praying for the friends and families of the victims and took the time to thank first responders for their life-saving work.
Both politicians also called for their DC peers to take action against gun-violence.
‘Too many families in too many communities have been forced to endure the daily horror of gun violence. Enough is enough,’ Pelosi said. ‘The Republican Senate’s continued inaction dishonors our solemn duty to protect innocent men, women and children and end this epidemic once and for all.’
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives announced that it has dispatched federal agents to the scene to assist local law enforcement.
‘Please stay away from the area and refrain from posting first responder activity on social media,’ the ATF’s Dallas bureau tweeted on Saturday.
A family that was shopping near Walmart during the shooting sought cover in nearby Landry’s Seafood, hostess Sofia Cervantes told USA TODAY.
‘They are in shock right now,’ Cervantes said. ‘They were barely able to talk to us.’
An employee of a nearby Olive Garden told The New York Times that the restaurant has also been placed in lock down.
At least 10 people ran into the restaurant seeking cover, the employee said.
‘We don’t have any information, just that there’s an active shooter at the Walmart in the same parking lot as we are,’ the employee said.
‘We’re just on lock down right now.
‘The SWAT team just came in and told us that they had cleared the building and told us lock the doors.’
An assistant manager at a Men’s Wearhouse in the Cielo Vista Mall said at least 15 people came into the store when the shooting started.
Susana Franco said police officers, military and the SWAT team could be seen from her store’s front windows.
‘They’re not letting people in the parking lot,’ she said. ‘They’re trying to evacuate all of the mall.’
El Paso is located on the border separating the United States and Mexico
Heavily armed police are seen next to an FBI armored vehicle next to the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso on Saturday
Police stand at attention during an active shooter at a Walmart in El Paso on Saturday
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms dispatched agents to aid local law enforcement
A local police officer is seen directing passersby near the scene of the shooting in El Paso on Saturday
Heavily armed police are seen outside the Walmart near the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso on Saturday
Police said there were no more threats to the area after a suspect was apprehended
Law enforcement officials are seen in front of a Hooters restaurant, which was placed on lock down during the shooting
A police officer armed with an assault rifle and wearing a bulletproof vest is seen at the scene of the shooting in El Paso on Saturday
A heavy police presence was observed on the roadways near the mall in El Paso
The suspect was taken into custody alive after the shooting in El Paso on Saturday
A local police officer is seen near the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso on Saturday
No one was shot at Cielo Vista Mall or on its property, according to Simon Property Group Chief Marketing Officer Mikael Thygesen.
Thygesen says the shooting occurred on Walmart’s property and in the Walmart parking lot.
The mall was put on lockdown as a result of the shooting, Thygesen said, but there is said to be no ongoing threat to the public at this time.
Walmart issued a statement on its Twitter account which read: ‘We’re in shock over the tragic events at Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, where store 2201 & club 6502 are located.
‘We’re praying for the victims, the community & our associates, as well as the first responders.
‘We’re working closely with law enforcement & will update as appropriate.’
In an urgent call to action on Twitter,local authorities have urged members of the public to come forward to donate blood as the victim count of the massacre continues to rise.
At least two blood donation centers in the area are currently open: Vitalant Blood Services on 424 S. Mesa Hills Dr and on 1338 N Zaragoza Rd.
El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in West Texas sits across the border from Juarez, Mexico.