Prosecutors in El Paso, Texas, will seek the death penalty for the man suspected of killing 20 people and injuring more than 20 others.
American attorney John Bash said they will pursue a criminal investigation, a civil rights hate crime investigation and “domestic terrorism” charges against the suspect, who was identified as 21 year old Patrick Crusius. The attack on the Walmart didn’t continue to any other building or shopping centre.
The gunman opened fire on a crowded Walmart on Saturday with an assault rifle, and surrendered after being confronted by police officers outside the store. The mass shooting which is believed to be the eighth deadliest in modern US history, was in a city where most of the population of 680,000 is of Hispanic descent. In addition to the 20 fatalities, 26 people were injured in the shooting.
Patrick Crusius, the alleged shooter.
Speaking to reporters, President Trump said mass shootings needed to be stopped.
“This has been going on for years, for years and years in our country and we have to get it stopped,” he said.
He went on to link the attack to a “mental illness problem”, saying the gunmen were “very, very seriously mentally ill”, despite investigators not commenting on the mental state of the gunman.
