20 Dead, 26 Wounded in El Paso Walmart Shooting — Single Shooter in Custody

El Paso Walmart Shooting
(Briana Sanchez/The El Paso Times via AP
Bob Price and Lana Shadwick

Police in El Paso, Texas, report 20 people died in a shooting at an area Walmart store Saturday morning. Earlier in the day, officials walked back their multi-shooter and gang-related terrorism statements. Officials say one suspect is in custody. El Paso police called an alleged manifesto a “potential nexus to a hate crime.”

UPDATES IN LOCAL TIME:

LIVE REPORT FROM KFOX14:

UPDATE 8:20 p.m.: It appears people in El Paso are calling people saying they are from the medical examiners office making death notifications. El Paso police warn this is not occurring.

UPDATE 7:55 p.m.: The New York Times reports that the FBI is investigating the motivation behind the El Paso Walmart shooting to determine if it is a hate crime, another federal crime, or an act of domestic terrorism.

UPDATE 7:30 p.m.: During a press conference at the scene of the shooting, Gov. Greg Abbott responded to a question about the alleged manifesto from the accused killer. Abbot responded that “Texas will aggressively prosecute this as capital murder and hate crime. Conduct like this, acts like this, crimes like this are not who and what Texas is and we will not tolerate it.”

Mayor Dee Margo pointed out this crime was allegedly committed by someone not from El Paso. No one in El Paso would have ever done anything like this, the mayor expressed saying he now has “twenty funerals to prepare for.”

State Rep. Cesar Blanco (D-El Paso) said he had just concluded a conversation with two families who are still waiting to find out what happened to their family member.

UPDATE 6:15 p.m.: Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said three Mexican nationals are among the twenty people killed.

UPDATE 5:40 p.m.: El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen told reporters Saturday evening that 20 people died and 26 were wounded in the attack on a Walmart in that city. 

Chief Allen referenced a manifesto that is allegedly written by the shooter. He called it a “potential nexus to a hate crime,” but would not go further as he did not want to “step on fed’s toes.” The chief said they still “have to validate in certainty” that the manifesto belongs to the suspect.

Allen stated his officers arrested the suspect at an intersection near the Walmart. The shooting began at 10:39 El Paso time and officers were on the scene within six minutes.

Governor Abbott referenced the Santa Fe High School and Sutherland Springs shootings from last year. The governor said we must continue to do more with mental health issues.

UPDATE 4:3o p.m.: A KTSM NBC9 report contains an eyewitness video in which multiple gunshots can be heard. The person appears to be hiding underneath some type of shelving to avoid detection.

Governor Greg Abbott arrived in El Paso on Saturday evening and tweeted:

Senator Ted Cruz tweeted:

Presidential candidates also weighed in on the tragic shooting, Breitbart News reported.

UPDATE 4:15 p.m.: Medical officials in El Paso report 13 adults and two children who arrived at the University Medical Center and 11 adults — 9 critical — at Del Sol Medical Center. KTSM reported.

UMC officials report one of their 13 patients died and one was released. The others remain in critical condition. Four people were immediately taken into surgery.

The two children, ages two and nine, were transported to El Paso Children’s Hospital, officials stated. Their condition has not been released.

The adult victims reportedly range in age from 35 to 82, Del Sol officials stated. Of the nine critical patients at Del Sol, three are reportedly in a life-threatening situation. Two patients are listed in stable condition.

UPDATE 3:30 p.m.: El Paso Police Department spokesman Sgt. Robert Gomez told reporters they took a white male in his early 20s into custody in connection with the shooting. He said they no longer believe there are any other shooters involved in the incident. He could not confirm the numbers of deaths or injuries. “No law enforcement personnel fired their weapons during this incident,” Gomez said.

Gomez advised there were between 1,000 and 3,000 people inside the Walmart store as back-to-school shopping is in full swing.

UPDATE 2:50 p.m.: El Paso police officials now walking back multiple-shooter and gang-related terrorism statements. “Don’t think it’s multiple shooters, but that could change,” KFOX14 reported.

UPDATE 2:30 p.m.: KFOX14 reports multiple victims transported to University Medical Center. Some were dead on arrival. El Paso Children’s Hospital received a 2-year-old and a 9-year-old child. 

Police reportedly stopped a Honda sedan with a suspect that resembles a man seen on security video and in photos being distributed at the scene.

UPDATE 2:15 p.m.:  President Donald Trump tweeted:

UPDATE 2:10 p.m.: KFOX14 is reporting that El Paso police officials are “somewhat walking back” the classification of the shooting as “gang-related terrorism.”

UPDATE 1:50 p.m.: KTSM released a screenshot of a security camera that appears to show the shooter entering the Walmart. The shooter is wearing ear protection and carrying a semi-automatic rifle.

UPDATE 1:20 p.m.: Texas Governor Greg Abbott called the shooting a “heinous and senseless act of violence.”

“Our hearts go out to the victims of this horrific shooting and to the entire community in this time of loss,” Governor Abbott wrote. “While no words can provide the solace needed for those impacted by this event, I ask that all Texans join Cecilia and me in offering our prayers for the victims and their families. The state of Texas and the Department of Public Safety are assisting the El Paso Police Department as they conduct their investigation. We have deployed troopers, special agents, Texas Rangers, tactical teams, and aircraft to the scene in a support role. The state of Texas will do everything it can to ensure justice is delivered to the perpetrators of this heinous act.”.

El Paso Mayor Dee Margo is saying there are three suspects in custody, KFOX14 reports.

Walmart officials responded to the shooting:

UPDATE 1:40 p.m.: KFOX14 reports the El Paso police department is calling Saturday’s mass-shooting at a Walmart “gang-related terrorism.”

UPDATE 1:15 p.m.:  UNCONFIRMED REPORT from Texas Tribune Contributor Ivan Pierre Aguirre:

KFOX14 reports the shooting began outside the Walmart and the shooter continued firing inside the store. He then went to the nearby Dillards store.

UPDATE 1:10 p.m.: A spokesman for the El Paso Police Department said there is not an active shooter at this time but the scene has not been rendered safe. Comment made during a press conference. A “reunification center” has been set up at a nearby school. He stated they are working two separate crime scenes.

UPDATE 1:05 p.m.: KFOX14 reports two active shooters — one in custody — and at least ten fatalities. More ambulances are still arriving on the scene.

UPDATE 1:00 p.m.:  The El Paso Sheriff’s Office reports multiple but unspecified fatalities but that there is no longer a threat in the area. One person has been arrested alive in connection with the shooting.

UPDATE 12:55 p.m.: Photo shows police helping blood-covered woman in the El Paso shooting.

UPDATE 12:50 p.m.: KTSM reports that El Paso Mayor Dee Margo confirmed three fatalities at the Cielo Vista Walmart.

UPDATE 12:40 p.m.: The El Paso Times reports a police officer saying that 18 adults and four children may have been killed. This number has not been confirmed. University Medical Center officials report receiving multiple victims from the shooting — no numbers available at this time. 

Original Story Follows:

El Paso Police Department officers are responding to an active shooter situation at a Walmart store and the Cielo Vista Mall, according to a report by KVIA ABC7 in El Paso. The article claims police say there may be multiple shooters involved and warn the public to stay clear of the area.

KTSM NBC9 reports 18 people may have been shot at the Walmart.

While local media reports multiple people being shot, no fatalities are reported at this time.

Photojournalist Jorge Salgado tweeted video from the scene showing police in tactical gear responding to the mall.

Before any details of the shooting are known, an apparent gun control activist wasted no time in mocking Texas over a mass shooting situation.

Images from KFox14 in El Paso show U.S. Border Patrol agents assisting local law enforcement officers. While a video apparently shot inside a store shows the chaotic scene of customers being evacuated and told to keep their “hands up!”

The El Paso Times is also reporting police saying there are multiple shooters. Stores in the surrounding area are also being evacuated as a precaution.

Editor’s Note: This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.

Lana Shadwick is a writer and legal analyst for Breitbart News. She is a trial lawyer who previously served as a prosecutor and associate judge in Texas. Shadwick can be reached at Lana@LanaShadwick.com.

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