Multiple people have been killed in an apparent mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas. Police have taken a male suspect into custody.
The El Paso Police Department responded at 10 a.m. Saturday to the area of the Cielo Vista Mall after reports came in of the shooting. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told Fox News that 15 to 20 people were shot. A police source told KTSM that 18 people were killed.
Del Sol Medical Center spokesman Victor Guerrero told HuffPost the facility has 11 patients from the scene of the shooting; nine are in critical condition and two are in stable condition. Police said blood donations are “needed urgently.”
Sgt. Robert Gomez of the El Paso Police Department said at a press briefing that multiple people have died and one male suspect is in custody. El Paso Mayor Dee Margo previously said three suspects were in custody, but Gomez said police don’t believe there “is anybody outstanding.”
The suspect has been identified by multiple outlets as 21-year-old Patrick Crusius. KTSM showed a photo of what appears to be the shooter holding a long gun.
Another video posted to Twitter appears to show multiple bodies in the parking lot. A woman can be heard asking “who needs CPR?” The videos contain graphic images so HuffPost is not linking to them.
Other stores in the area were evacuated.
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, who represented El Paso in Congress, said backstage at the AFSCME forum for Democratic presidential candidates in Las Vegas that he would be returning home to El Paso.
“We know that there’s a lot of injury, a lot of suffering in El Paso right now. I’m incredibly sad,” O’Rourke told reporters, as he choked up. “It’s very hard to think about this. But I’ll tell you, El Paso is the strongest place in the world. This community is going to come together. I’m going back there right now, to be with my family and to be with my hometown.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.