El Paso shooting suspect Patrick Crusius, 21, says he purchased his AK-47 rifle from Romania and his ammo from Russia
The El Paso shooting suspect who opened fire in a Walmart and killed 22 says he purchased his deadly AK-47 rifle and ammo from Romania and Russia, where it’s cheaper to buy firearms.
Alleged gunman Patrick Crusius, 21, of Allen, Texas, claims the assault weapon he used to launch his attack against the ‘Mexican invasion of Texas’ was purchased from Romania, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety report.
He purchased the Romanian AK-47 and it was then sent to a gun dealer near the shooter’s home in Allen, where he picked it up.
Crusius also told police that he bought a thousand rounds of ammunition from Russia, according to the report obtained by the Texas Tribune.
In the devastating shooting on August 3, 2019, he opened fire with a vicious hail of bullets inside the crowded Walmart at the Cielo Vista Mall, a popular shopping destination for people both sides of the US-Mexico border. He killed 22 people and injured more than 20 dozen others in the merciless attack.
In his disturbing manifesto he claimed his attack was in response to the ‘Mexican invasion of Texas’ and he allegedly told police he ‘wanted to shoot as many Mexicans as possible’.
Crusius also told police following his arrest he purchased the rifle online from Romania then picked it up at a local gun store that performed a background check on him. He also purchased a whopping 1,000 rounds of ammunition from Russia that was likely delivered to his door
Crusius pictured in surveillance footage from the Walmart wearing ear protection and carrying the AK-47 rifle during his August 3 attack in El Paso
El Paso police previously said that the AK-47 weapon used in the shooting was bought legally but didn’t provide details.
In his manifesto published before the shooting, Crusius said the rifle was a WASR-10, a semi-automatic version of a Romanian military AK-47.
According to gun experts, it’s common to purchase imported firearms online that are delivered to local gun stores, in an effort to save money.
Once customers arrive to pick up their items, the gun store completes the necessary background check.
The suspect said he purchased his gun from Romania, but officials say he likely purchased the Romanian-manufactured weapon online that had been imported to the U.S.
The suspected shooter said after his arrest he picked up the Romanian rifle at Gun Masters in Allen, but no such store exists there, but it does in the neighboring town of Plano.
The gunsmith at the store, Brian Park, said he’s not sure if Crusius received the rifle from his store.
He also likely purchased the ammo online, which can be shipped overseas and delivered directly to one’s door in a receiving state. Today only six states and Washington D.C. have bans on processing assault weapons.
FBI pictured on the scene of Cielo Vista Mall Walmart responding to the August 3 shooting that left 22 dead and more than two dozen injured
Locals in El Paso gathered for a vigil on August 8 outside the Cielo Vista Mall following the shooting
‘Primarily the reason that people are attracted to these imports is that they’re less expensive,’ David Chipman, a senior policy advisor at Giffords, a national gun control group, said to the newspaper.
Last year Romania exported about 9,000 semi-automatic rifles to the U.S., according to an Arms Trade Treaty report.
Gun and high-powered semi-automatic weapon imports, which are regulated by the U.S Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, must be use for ‘sporting purposes’ and not military use.
‘Largely, today these styles of assault weapons are being characterized as sporing weapons,’ David Chipman said.
He says the importer for the WASR-10 was likely Century Arms, a Florida based company that modifies guns to make sure they’re legal in the U.S. and transfers purchased guns to a local dealer.
Following his attack, Crusius said he was ‘surprised no one challenged him or shot him’ when he walked into the store armed ear protection and carrying his rifle.
In Texas, no license is legally needed to openly carry a rifle in public.