Face of Nation : The mother of the 21-year-old man accused of killing 22 people at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart called police weeks before the shooting concerned that her son owned an “AK”-type gun, the family’s attorneys said Wednesday.
Chris Ayres and R. Jack Ayres, who represent the family of suspect Patrick Wood Crusius, told CNN that the man’s mother called police in Allen, Texas, over concerns about the firearm given his age, maturity level and lack of experience. They say the mother was transferred to a public safety officer who said that based on her description, her son was an adult legally allowed to own the weapon.
Ayres confirmed to News that the details and quotes ascribed to them are correct. It was not clear if the weapon that the mother asked police about was the same weapon used in the attack Saturday in the crowded shopping center. The Allen Police Department said in a statement Sunday, a day after the shooting, that “our contact with that person can be described as limited at best,” referring to the suspected gunman.
In 2019, the suspect called to report a false residential alarm at his grandparent’s home; in 2016, the suspect was listed as a “student/passenger” on a school bus involved in a minor traffic accident; and in 2014, as a juvenile, he was reported as a runaway but returned home around 30 minutes later, Allen police said. The department told CNN that those three incidents “are the entirety of our dealings with Mr. Crusius, in any capacity, be it suspect, witness, reporting party or in any other manner.” Allen is north of Dallas and about a nine-hour drive from El Paso.
“There is no record of any person(s) ever contacting the Allen Police Department in reference to this suspect and any activity that he may have been engaged or involved in,” police said in their statement. The suspect is thought to have posted a screed online before the attack in which he expressed anti-immigrant views and included talking points about preserving European identity in America.
In the online screed linked to the alleged gunman, the author claimed to have developed his beliefs before Donald Trump became president. He criticized both Democrats and Republicans and expressed anti-government and anti-corporate views. But some Democrats and other critics of Trump say the president’s rhetoric on illegal immigration has created a climate that emboldens extremists. Trump and his defenders have denied his rhetoric was to blame for the mass killing and accused Democrats of playing politics.
The attack is being investigated as a potential federal hate crime. El Paso District Attorney Jaime Esparza said Sunday that he will seek the death penalty. “I will use every legal tool available to me to prevent that from happening,” his attorney, Mark Stevens, said in a statement Wednesday.
The accused shooter’s family said they “are focused on the lives lost, those struggling in their recovery and the countless families and friends of those affected by this atrocity.” “There will never be a moment for the rest of our lives when we will forget each and every victim of this senseless tragedy,” the family said in its statement.
