Twenty people were killed and two dozen more were injured Saturday morning after a gunman went on a shooting rampage inside a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news conference Wednesday evening.

The suspected shooter, who had not been publicly identified by authorities, was taken into custody without incident, El Paso police said. However, the Associated Press and other media outlets identified him as 21-year-old Patrick Crusius of Allen, north of Dallas.

Cable news station CNN said it had heard from federal sources that investigators were reviewing an online writing Crusius posted days before the shooting that might reveal a motive.

El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen said authorities are looking into presenting capital murder charges against the suspect, and the FBI is investigating the shooting as a possible hate crime.

Allen said 26 people were wounded in the shooting. El Paso hospitals said they are treating several victims, not including a patient who died after arriving at one of the hospitals.

Police around 10 a.m. began receiving several 911 calls reporting an active shooter with a rifle at the Walmart near the mall, which is near Interstate 10 on the city’s east side. El Paso police Sgt. Robert Gomez didn’t know how long the shooting lasted, but said the suspect was taken into custody shortly after the first reports came in.

Police received initial reports of multiple shooters at other locations, but Gomez said authorities no longer believe others were involved or that there is any ongoing threat to the public. He said authorities have not determined a motive for the shooting.

Gomez said police are working to make sure people who were separated get reunited and people who were injured get the care they need. They set up a spot at the nearby MacArthur Elementary-Intermediate School for people to reunite. Police also said that hospitals were in urgent need of blood in the wake of the shooting, urging people to donate at local donation centers.

“We’re in shock over the tragic events at Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso,” Walmart said in a statement Saturday. “We’re praying for the victims, the community & our associates, as well as the first responders.”

Abbott said Saturday that state troopers, special agents, Texas Rangers and tactical teams and aircraft had been sent to El Paso to assist in the investigation and response to the shooting.

“The state of Texas will do everything it can to ensure justice is delivered to the perpetrators of this heinous act,” Abbott said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the victims of this horrific shooting and to the entire community in this time of loss.”

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, who hails from the border city, left the campaign trail to return home to El Paso after hearing reports of the shooting. According to the AP, he had been appearing at a candidate forum in Las Vegas when the first reports came out of the attack and took to the stage to condemn gun violence.

“We know there’s a lot of injury, a lot of suffering in El Paso right now,” O’Rourke said, his voice quaking with emotion. “I am incredibly saddened, and it is very hard to think about this. But I’ll tell you El Paso is the strongest place in the world. This community is going to come together. I”m going back there right now to be with my community, with my hometown.”

———

©2019 Austin American-Statesman, Texas

Visit Austin American-Statesman, Texas at www.statesman.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

—————

PHOTO (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194):ELPASO-SHOOTING

Copy the Story Link