Investigators of the El Paso mass shooting, which left 20 people dead and wounded at least 26 others, are treating the massacre as a case of domestic terrorism and will file capital murder charges against the suspect, now in custody. They are also trying to determine if an anti-immigrant “manifesto” posted online was penned by the alleged 21-year-old white male shooter. Megan Thompson reports.
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Megan Thompson:
In El Paso, Texas, today, the investigation continued into yesterday's mass shooting. There, a gunman opened fire just after 10:30 am local time in a busy commercial area filled with Saturday-morning shoppers. 20 people were killed and at least 26 were wounded.
Today FBI agents checked cars in the parking lot outside the Walmart where the massacre took place. And people placed flowers on the road nearby in memory of the victims.
Law enforcement searched a home associated with the suspected shooter, in Allen, Texas, a suburb of Dallas about 650 miles from El Paso. The suspect was apprehended yesterday near the scene.
John Bash, U.S. Attorney for the western district of Texas, said that federal officials are treating the El Paso shooting as a case of domestic terrorism.
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John Bash, U.S. Atty. For The Western Dist. Of Texas:
We are treating it as a domestic terrorism case and we're gonna do what we do to terrorists in this country, which is to deliver swift and certain justice.
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Megan Thompson:
Meanwhile, state officials in Texas announced they will file capital murder charges against the suspect.
El Paso county district attorney, Jaime Esparza: I can tell you from the outset, the state charge is capital murder, so he is eligible for the death penalty, we will seek the death penalty.
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Megan Thompson:
Officials are trying to determine if an anti-immigrant manifesto posted on an extremist website minutes before the shooting started, was written by the alleged shooter, a 21-year-old white man. The posting spoke of a "Hispanic invasion" of the U.S. And expressed support for the gunman in Christchurch, New Zealand, who killed 51 people in march.
El Paso sits right on the U.S. Border with Mexico. A majority of its nearly 700,000 residents are Hispanic and the city has seen an influx of migrants from central america in recent months.
Several Mexican citizens are believed to be among the dead and wounded. Last night, a vigil was held in Ciudad Juarez, just across the border from El Paso.
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