Source: Army booted Texas mall gunman over mental health
The man accused of killing eight people and wounding several others in a mass shooting at a suburban Dallas shopping mall over the weekend apparently had been working as a security guard and was discharged from the U.S. Army in 2008 because of mental health issues, according to neighbors and an Army official.
El Pasoans remember victims of the Walmart shooting one year later
Isaiah Vale places flowers at a memorial honoring the victims of the Walmart shooting at Ponder Park in El Paso. Ruben Alvarado, originally from Chicago and now living in El Paso, lights candles at a memorial honoring the victims of the Walmart shooting at Ponder Park in El Paso. Briana Vargas for The Texas TribuneA memorial honoring the victims of the Walmart shooting at Ponder Park in El Paso. Joel Angel JuarezFirst: A memorial honoring the victims of the Walmart shooting at Ponder Park in El Paso. Last: From left, Lisa LaFlor and Isaiah Vale, light candles during a vigil honoring the victims of the Walmart shooting.
El Paso marks Walmart shooting anniversary amid pandemic
We can't allow a shooter to define who we are, and were not going to allow a virus to define who El Paso is, Samaniego said. El Paso residents describe the friendliness of the city, which has one of the lowest crime rates in the U.S. Authorities say Patrick Crusius confessed to driving to El Paso from his home near Dallas to target Mexicans, and just before the attack posted a racist screed online. Dr. Jose Burgos, who was working as shooting victims arrived at University Medical Center and now helps coordinate care for COVID-19 patients, said his alarm that Hispanics were targeted lingers. The morning of the shooting, Melendez's parents took their granddaughter Kaitlyn to the Walmart to get new clothes and a basketball.
Who should prosecute the El Paso Walmart shooting suspect? A year after the massacre, local and federal prosecutors still face hard decisions
Hundreds mourned the El Paso Walmart shooting victims and their families last year. Rosales, an El Paso native who graduated from Austin High School and the University of Texas El Paso, will replace Jaime Esparza who decided not to seek reelection after nearly three decades in office in January to become the county's first female district attorney. After sealing her victory in last month's runoff election, Rosales said letting the U.S. attorneys office prosecute Crusius first would make financial sense for El Paso. Robert Dunham, executive director of the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center, a non-profit think tank that analyzes the death penalty, said the case could be over quickly if prosecutors took the death penalty off the table. The El Paso shooting happened a day after Abbott's campaign sent out a mailer saying Texans would need to take matters into their own hands to defend the border.
Lawyer: El Paso shooting suspect has 'mental disabilities'
Patrick Crusius has been diagnosed with severe, lifelong neurological and mental disabilities and was treated with antipsychotic medication following his arrest moments after the massacre in El Paso, his attorneys wrote in a court filing. The court record also states Crusius was in special education for much of his schooling, but does not elaborate on his mental health. Crusius was arrested soon after the Aug. 3 shooting. Soon before the attack, he posted a racist screed online that railed against Hispanics coming to the U.S., according to prosecutors. Federal prosecutors are opposing the request and have said the Attorney General will decide whether to seek the death penalty.
DA: Walmart mass shooting suspect will face new charges
EL PASO, Texas The man accused of killing 22 people at a Walmart in Texas is expected to be reindicted Thursday as he faces another murder charge in the mass shooting that targeted Mexicans, prosecutors said. Patrick Crusius of Allen, Texas, is currently being held without bond on one count of capital murder of multiple people under Texas state law. Esparza said Crusius will also face more counts in relation to the dozens of people injured in the shooting. Were reindicting the defendant to include the additional death and to include all of those injured in the Walmart shooting in order to give the next DA all of their options, Esparza added. Crusius already faces the death penalty on a state capital murder charge to which he pleaded not guilty last year.