Hate crime charges are possible for El Paso shooting suspect
By Theresa Waldrop and Paul P. Murphy, CNN
Updated
5:56 PM EDT, Sun August 4, 2019
Law enforcement agencies respond to an active shooter at a Wal-Mart near Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, Texas, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. - Police said there may be more than one suspect involved in an active shooter situation Saturday in El Paso, Texas. City police said on Twitter they had received "multi reports of multipe shooters." There was no immediate word on casualties. (Photo by Joel Angel JUAREZ / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOEL ANGEL JUAREZ/AFP/Getty Images)
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Joel Angel Juarez/AFP/Getty Images
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Cristina Zapata, 35, second from left, is comforted by her children David Burgos, 4, left, Lucy Burgos, 7, second from right, and Mariana Burgos, 3, right, as they pay their respects to the victims of the El Paso shooting at a memorial in a lot across from the Walmart near Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, Texas, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019.
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(CNN) —
The man suspected of killing 20 people and injuring 26 others in El Paso on Saturday may face hate crime charges in addition to capital murder charges, officials said.
Police say a racist, anti-immigrant document they believe was written by the 21-year-old white male suspect has a “nexus to a potential hate crime.”
The four-page document posted online espouses white nationalist and racist views. It rails against immigrants and Hispanics, blaming immigrants and first-generation Americans for taking away jobs and for the blending of cultures in the US.
Federal authorities are treating the shooting as a case of domestic terrorism because the shooting “appears to be designed to intimidate a civilian population, to say the least,” according to the US Attorney for the Western District of Texas, John Bash.
“We’re going to do what we do to terrorists in this country, which is to deliver swift and certain justice,” Bash said.
El Paso County District Attorney Jaime Esparza said the suspect faces capital murder charges and that his office will seek the death penalty.
FBI El Paso Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie said more investigation is needed before determining that the mass shooting was a hate crime.
“Right now, it is a murder investigation,” Buie said. “There is potential for a number of different other violations, and we’re reviewing all the evidence to make a determination as to what potentially else is out there, in addition to the violations that have been stated that the local authorities are pursuing.”
The suspect has been identified as Patrick Crusius of Allen, a suburb of Dallas, three sources told CNN. The suspect surrendered to police “without incident,” police spokesman Sgt. Robert Gomez told reporters.
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
El Dorado High School students attend a ceremony Wednesday, August 7, honoring those who died in the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas.
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Joel Angel Juárez for CNN
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Demonstrators in Dayton, Ohio, protest the visit of President Donald Trump on August 7. Trump visited both Dayton and El Paso on Wednesday.
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Megan Jelinger/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Trump visits a joint operations center to meet with first responders of the El Paso shooting.
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Evan Vucci/AP
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Protesters in El Paso hold a sign written in Spanish that reads "Trump you are not welcome" during a rally held to denounce Trump's visit to El Paso.
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Calla Kessler/The New York Times/Redux
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, right, joins families in prayer during a visit to a makeshift memorial in El Paso. O'Rourke, a former congressman, is from El Paso.
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Joel Angel Juárez for CNN
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Trump supporters are escorted away by police after clashing with protesters outside the makeshift memorial in El Paso on Wednesday.
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Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Members of the Apache tribe stand alongside a priest during a vigil in El Paso.
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Luke E. Montavon/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
A "Ban Assault Weapons Now" sign is displayed near a voter registration table in El Paso.
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Mario Tama/Getty Images
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
People pray Monday, August 5, at a makeshift memorial in El Paso.
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Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Doves are seen at El Paso's Horizon High School during a vigil for Javier Rodriguez, a 15-year-old who was killed in the El Paso shooting.
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Adriana Zehbrauskas/The New York Times/Redux
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Antonio Basbo holds the cross of his common-law wife, Margie Reckard, who died in the shooting in El Paso.
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Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
A woman kneels Monday at a memorial in Dayton.
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Megan Jelinger/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
People raise their arms in the air Sunday during a vigil for the El Paso victims.
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John Locher/AP
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Mourners gather Sunday at a vigil in Dayton.
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Maddie McGarvey/The New York Times/Redux
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Mourners pause for a prayer in Dayton.
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John Minchillo/AP
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Flowers are placed in a bullet hole a few buildings away from where the shooting took place in Dayton.
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Megan Jelinger/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Mourners pray at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the El Paso shooting.
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Andres Leighton/AP
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Mourners gather at a vigil in Dayton.
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John Minchillo/AP
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Doves are released during a memorial service recognizing the victims of the Dayton shooting.
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Scott Olson/Getty Images
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Mourners gather at Sunday's vigil in Dayton.
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John Minchillo/AP
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
A butterfly grips onto Patricia Oliver during an El Paso vigil. Oliver's son, Joaquin, was killed in the Parkland, Florida, school shooting in 2018. Sunday would have been his 19th birthday.
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Joel Angel Juárez for CNN
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Someone holds up a sign during the vigil in Dayton.
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John Minchillo/AP
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Children participate in an El Paso vigil Sunday.
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Andres Leighton/AP
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Edie Hallberg speaks to reporters near the site of the El Paso Walmart where people were killed Saturday. Hallberg's mother, Angie Englisbee, was killed in the shooting.
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Adriana Zehbrauskas/The New York Times/Redux
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
People pay their respects to the victims of the El Paso shooting at a makeshift memorial across from the Walmart near the Cielo Vista Mall.
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Joel Angel Juárez for CNN
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
A flag and letter signed by US Sen. John Cornyn is seen on flowers at a makeshift memorial in El Paso.
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Joel Angel Juárez for CNN
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
From left, Tiffany McConnell, Tanycia Leonard and Nikita Papillion recall their night in Dayton.
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Sam Greene/The Enquirer/Imagn
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Police conduct their investigation in the parking lot of an El Paso Walmart on Sunday.
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Larry W. Smith/EPA/Shutterstock
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Evidence markers sit in a Dayton street on Sunday.
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John Minchillo/AP
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Cristina Zapata and her children pay their respects to the victims of the El Paso shooting.
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Joel Angel Juárez for CNN
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
O'Rourke speaks to the media on Sunday. O'Rourke lashed out at President Trump during his comments, saying that Trump has been "promoting racism" with his incendiary remarks about immigration. After the El Paso shooting, Trump called the tragedy an "act of cowardice" and said there "are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing people."
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Andres Leighton/AP
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Shoes, hats and other items are piled together outside a bar in Dayton on Sunday.
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John Minchillo/AP
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Witnesses comfort one another at the scene in Dayton on Sunday.
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John Minchillo/AP
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Flowers left by mourners lie near the site of the shooting in El Paso.
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Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Bodies are removed from the scene of the mass shooting in Dayton.
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John Minchillo/AP
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Authorities work at the scene in Dayton.
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John Minchillo/AP
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
From left, Samuel Lerma, Arzetta Hodges and Desiree Quintanar attend a vigil in El Paso on Saturday.
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John Locher/AP
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Walmart employees react Saturday after the shooting in El Paso.
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Mark Lambie/El Paso Times/Imagn
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
A law enforcement officer stands outside the El Paso Walmart.
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Ivan Pierre Aguirre/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Shoppers exit the El Paso Walmart with their hands up.
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Jorge Salgado/Reuters
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
An El Paso police officer interviews a witness after the shooting.
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El Paso Times/Imagn
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Kendall Long comforts Kianna Long, who was in the freezer section of the El Paso Walmart during the shooting.
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Ivan Pierre Aguirre/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
People gather at MacArthur Elementary School in El Paso, looking for family and friends. The school was being used as a reunification center.
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Briana Sanchez/El Paso Times/Imagn
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
The El Paso shooting happened on a Saturday morning when the stores were busy with customers. Police said the first call about the shooting came in at 10:39 a.m., and police were on the scene within six minutes.
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Jorge Salgado/Reuters
Photos: In photos: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Police speak to witnesses at a nearby Sam's Club in El Paso.
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Mark Lambie/El Paso Times/Imagn
The document police believe the suspect wrote was posted on 8chan, an online messaging board full of racist, bigoted and anti-Semitic content. A CNN analysis of the document reveals it was posted less than 20 minutes before police received the first calls about the shootings.
“This is disgusting, intolerable. It’s not Texan,” Abbott told reporters who asked about the document. “We are going to aggressively prosecute it both as capital murder, but also as a hate crime, which is what it appears to be, without having seen all the evidence yet.”
President Donald Trump called the mass shooting an “act of cowardice,” and said there “are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing people.”
In his messages on Twitter, Trump said he and the first lady sent “heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the great people of Texas.”
Abbott called the shootings “one of the deadliest days in the history of Texas.”
CNN’s Josh Campbell and Hollie Silverman contributed to this report.
