EL PASO, Texas — The white Texas shooter who killed 23 people at a Walmart in 2019 returns to court Wednesday to be sentenced for the mass shooting that targeted Hispanic shoppers in the border city of El Paso.
Patrick Crusius, 24, is expected to receive multiple life sentences after pleading guilty to federal hate crimes and weapons-related charges in one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history. Although the federal government did not seek the death penalty, Texas prosecutors have not taken the possibility of lethal injection off the table in a separate case in state court.
Investigators say the shooting was preceded by the online posting of racist speech.
The sentencing phase could last several days. It is the first time that the relatives of the victims, who included citizens of Mexico, will have the opportunity to address the attacker face to face in court.
Some things to know about the shooting and the case:
WHO IS PATRICK CRUSIUS?
He was 21 when authorities say he drove more than 10 hours from his home in suburban Dallas to El Paso and opened fire.
He is the son of a therapist and a licensed nurse. He had enrolled as a student at Collin College near Dallas and had no criminal convictions before the shooting. On social media, he seemed consumed by the nation’s immigration debate, tweeting #BuildtheWall and posts praising then-President Donald Trump’s hardline border policies.
His views were carried further in a document posted on an online message board about 20 minutes before the massacre in which he said the shooting was “in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.”
In US politics, Republicans have continued to use the word “invasion” to describe immigrants on the US-Mexico border, pushing back against critics who say the rhetoric fuels violence and anti-immigrant views.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE SHOOTING?
Prosecutors say the August 3, 2019 attack began in the parking lot at a Walmart that is popular with shoppers from Mexico and the US. Approaching the store, the shooter fired at participants in a fundraiser for a women’s soccer team.
Inside, the man continued to fire with an AK-47-style rifle, corralling shoppers on a bench near the entrance, before firing into the checkout area and people in the aisles. He was detained shortly after the attack and confessed to officers who stopped him at an intersection, according to police.
More than two dozen people were injured and many others severely traumatized as they hid or fled.
THE VICTIMS
The people who died range in age from a 15-year-old high school athlete to several elderly people.
They included immigrants, a retired city bus driver, teachers, merchants, including a former iron worker, and several Mexican citizens who had crossed the US border on routine shopping trips. Witnesses recounted moments of terror, anguish and heroism.
A baby named Paul Anchondo narrowly survived with a broken hand when his parents were shot dead. Family members credit mother Jordan Anchondo with protecting the baby from her.
David Johnson, 63, died after pushing his wife and 9-year-old granddaughter under a counter. The woman and the woman survived.
The funeral of one victim, Margie Reckard, 63, drew thousands of supporters after her husband announced he had few relatives and invited everyone to attend.
TEST CASE
The ruling comes amid efforts by the Justice Department under President Joe Biden to more aggressively target hate crimes and achieve meaningful results in the highest-profile cases.
The 2019 Walmart attack is the deadliest of a dozen hate crime-related mass shootings in the US since 2006, according to a database of murders compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.
Crusius agreed in February to accept up to 90 consecutive life sentences, avoiding the possible death penalty on charges of using a firearm in a crime of violence causing death.
Federal prosecutors have not formally explained their decision, but have acknowledged that the shooter suffered from schizoaffective disorder that can be marked by hallucinations, delusions and mood swings.
Adria González, a 41-year-old El Paso native who survived the Walmart attack while helping terrified shoppers get out, says she fears life in prison isn’t enough to stop racist attacks against Latinos. “It’s not just him. There are other people, other groups that can hurt us,” she said.
WHATS NEXT
The shooter still faces capital murder charges in state court and could face the death penalty if convicted.
It is unclear when that case will proceed. In November, the former El Paso County district attorney resigned amid mounting criticism of her performance on the job, including allegations that problems in her office were holding up Crusius’ case.
In addition, relatives of the victims have sued Walmart. Such lawsuits are common in the aftermath of mass shootings in the US, but often face major hurdles to succeed.
