EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The Latest on a shooting at an El Paso shopping complex (all times local):
5:10 p.m.
A law enforcement official says at least 15 people were killed in the attack at an El Paso shopping center and that the suspect who was taken into custody is a 21–year–old Dallas–area man named Patrick Crusius.
The official was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The official also stresses that the death count is preliminary and that the investigation is still ongoing.
Police say most of the victims of Saturday’s attack appear to have been at a Walmart near the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, though they say the mall had also been “secured.”
El Paso hospital say they are treating 22 victims, not including a patient who died after arriving at one of the hospitals.
Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo in Orlando, Florida, contributed to this report.
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5 p.m.
Authorities say the Walmart in El Paso where a gunman opened fire was packed with back–to–school shoppers.
Sgt. Robert Gomez said at a news conference that anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 shoppers and about 100 employees were at the Walmart near the Cielo Vista Mall when Saturday’s attack happened.
Gomez says most of the victims appear to have been at the Walmart, though he also says police had “secured” the mall. He says a man in his 20s was taken into custody and that law enforcement didn’t fire a single shot. He did not name the suspected gunman or say how many people were killed or wounded.
El Paso hospitals say they are treating 22 victims of the attack. At least one victim died at one of the hospitals.
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4:20 p.m.
A police official says he believes most of the El Paso attack victims were shot at a Walmart near the Cielo Vista Mall.
Sgt. Robert Gomez said at a news conference about five hours after the first reports emerged of a shooting near the mall that investigators believe a white man in his 20s was the only gunman involved and that he was taken into custody.
Gomez didn’t name the suspected gunman or say how many people were killed and wounded in the attack, though he said at least one person is dead. He also wouldn’t speculate as to the motive for the attack. He said the gunman used some type of rifle.
El Paso hospitals say they are treating 22 victims, not including a patient who died after arriving at one of the hospitals.
4:10 p.m.
Hospitals say they are treating 22 victims of the mass shooting at an El Paso shopping complex, not including a patient who died after arriving at one of the hospitals.
The Del Sol Medical Center is treating 11 patients, the University Medical Center of El Paso is treating nine, the El Paso Children’s Hospital is treating two.
Ryan Mielke (MIL’–kee), a UMC spokesman, says one patient died at the hospital.
Authorities say a gunman opened fire at or near the Cielo Vista Mall on Saturday that multiple people were killed and wounded, though they didn’t say how many.
El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in West Texas and sits across the border from Juarez, Mexico.
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3:50 p.m.
A Walmart official says the company is trying to determine if there was gunfire inside one of its stores during a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas.
Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove says the company is “in shock” over the news of Saturday’s attack. Authorities say a gunman killed and wounded multiple people at or near the Cielo Vista Mall, though they haven’t said how many.
A Walmart is located near the mall, as well as a Sam’s Club warehouse store, which is owned by Walmart Inc. Hargrove says the company is working closely with law enforcement.
Cielo Vista Mall, which is owned by mall operator Simon Property Group Inc., said in a statement that the attack is a police matter and it referred questions to the police department.
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3:30 p.m.
A University Medical Center of El Paso official says one of 12 people who were rushed to the hospital after the attack at a shopping complex has died.
Ryan Mielke (MIL’–kee), a hospital spokesman, says all of the victims suffered traumatic injuries in Saturday’s attack at or near the Cielo Vista Mall. He declined to provide additional details about the victims, including the one who died.
Mielke says two children, ages 2 and 9, were stabilized at the medical center before being transferred to the neighboring El Paso Children’s Hospital.
Authorities say multiple people were killed in the attack, but they haven’t said how many were killed or wounded. They say they believe it was carried out by a single male suspect who has been taken into custody.
President Donald Trump tweeted, “Reports are very bad, many killed.”
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3 p.m.
Authorities believe a deadly attack at or near a shopping mall in El Paso, Texas, was carried out by a single gunman who is in custody.
Police spokesman Robert Gomez says investigators are still trying to determine what happened during Saturday’s attack. He says multiple people were shot, but he didn’t say how many.
City officials have said there were multiple people killed, but they didn’t say how many.
State Rep. Cesar Blanco said on MSNBC that he had received reports that at least 18 people had been shot.
NBC News reports that a University Medical Center of El Paso official said it had received at least 10 seriously injured victims and that victims had also been taken to other hospitals.
El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in West Texas and sits across the border from Juarez, Mexico.
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2:30 p.m.
Presidential candidate and former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke says he’s distraught by the news of a mass–shooting in his hometown of El Paso, Texas.
An emotional O’Rourke told reporters on Saturday in Las Vegas that he had spoken by phone to El Paso Mayor Dee Margo, the city’s sheriff and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar. He says they were still learning details about the attack at or near the Cielo Vista Mall. Police say multiple people were killed and a male suspect was taken into custody.
O’Rourke said he planned to return home immediately to be with his family. He asked “for everyone’s strength for El Paso right now. Everyone’s resolve to make sure that this does not continue to happen in this country.”
El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in West Texas and sits across the border from Juarez, Mexico.
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2:20 p.m.
Authorities say multiple people were shot and killed and a suspect was taken into custody in an attack at a shopping complex in El Paso, Texas.
Police Sgt. Enrique Carrillo told reporters Saturday that the attack at or near the Cielo Vista Mall had ended. He didn’t say how many people were wounded or killed, but NBC News reports that a University Medical Center of El Paso official said it had received at least 10 seriously injured victims and that some victims were taken to other hospitals.
The White House says President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting and has spoken to Attorney General William Barr and Gov. Greg Abbott.
El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in West Texas and sits across the border from Juarez, Mexico.
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2 p.m.
Officials say multiple people were killed in an attack at a shopping complex in El Paso, Texas.
Olivia Zepeda, the chief of staff to El Paso Mayor Dee Margo, told CNN on Saturday that multiple people had been killed in the attack in or near the Cielo Vista Mall and that suspects have been taken into custody. She didn’t say how many victims there were.
The police department is asking the public to stay away from the area.
Authorities haven’t given any information about possible shooting victims.
El Paso is in West Texas along the border with Mexico.
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1:20 p.m.
Police in El Paso, Texas, say they’ve received reports of multiple shooters at a shopping complex and are urging the public to stay away from the area.
The police department tweeted Saturday that officers are at the Cielo Vista Mall area and that it is still an active shooter scene.
Authorities haven’t given any information about possible shooting victims.
El Paso is in West Texas along the border with Mexico.
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12:45 p.m.
Police in the West Texas city of El Paso have responded to reports of an active shooter in a commercial area near a mall.
El Paso police tweeted Saturday that officers were responding to an active shooting scene and that people were advised to stay away from the Cielo Vista Mall area. The mall complex is near Interstate 10 and on El Paso’s east side.
Police didn’t immediately provide details on whether anyone was hurt or in custody.
Further details weren’t immediately available
PHOTO: AP PHOTO/Rudy Gutierrez
