Patrick Crusius and the 2019 El Paso Walmart Massacre
Background
Patrick Wood Crusius was a 21-year-old resident of Allen, Texas, when he carried out a racially motivated mass shooting in El Paso on August 3, 2019. The attack occurred at the Walmart Supercenter at 7101 Gateway Boulevard West, near the Cielo Vista Mall. Crusius deliberately selected El Paso because of its large Hispanic population and its location near the United States–Mexico border.
Crusius drove more than 600 miles from the Dallas-area community of Allen to El Paso. Investigators determined that the journey took approximately ten hours. Shortly before the shooting, a document attributed to Crusius appeared online. It promoted white-supremacist and anti-immigrant beliefs, described Hispanic immigration as an “invasion,” and expressed support for using violence against Hispanic people. Crusius later admitted to investigators that he had traveled to El Paso intending to target Mexicans.
The Attack at Walmart
At approximately 10:38 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time on August 3, 2019, Crusius arrived outside the crowded Walmart carrying a semiautomatic WASR-10 rifle. The weapon was a civilian version of an AK-pattern rifle and fired 7.62×39mm ammunition. The store and surrounding shopping center were especially busy with families purchasing groceries and school supplies.
Crusius began firing in the Walmart parking lot, where shoppers, employees and members of a girls’ soccer team were gathered. The soccer team was holding a fundraising event near the entrance. He then entered the store through its western entrance and continued firing as he moved through the front of the building.
People were attacked near the entrance, checkout lanes and a bank branch inside the Walmart. Employees initiated an active-shooter warning and helped customers escape through exits, storage areas and employee-only sections of the building. Other shoppers hid beneath counters, inside offices or behind merchandise while police were called.
The shooting lasted only several minutes, but Crusius shot 45 people. Twenty-two victims eventually survived their injuries. Twenty-two people initially died from the attack, and Guillermo “Memo” Garcia died from his injuries on April 26, 2020, increasing the final death toll to 23.
Victims
The victims included residents of El Paso, visitors from Ciudad Juárez and people from other communities in Mexico. They ranged in age from 15 to 90. Several married couples were killed together, and numerous victims died while attempting to protect relatives or other people from the gunfire.
- Andre Anchondo, 23 — Fatally shot on August 3, 2019, at the Walmart in El Paso. Andre and his wife, Jordan, were shopping with their infant son. Family members said Andre attempted to protect his wife and child during the attack.
- Jordan Anchondo, 24 — Fatally shot on August 3, 2019, at the El Paso Walmart. Jordan was the mother of three children. Her two-month-old son survived after she shielded him with her body.
- Arturo Benavides, 60 — Killed on August 3, 2019, while shopping at the Walmart with his wife, Patricia. He was a United States Army veteran and a retired bus driver.
- Leonardo Campos, 41 — Killed on August 3, 2019, at the Walmart. He was the husband of Maribel Loya, who was also killed in the attack.
- Angie Englisbee, 86 — Fatally wounded during the August 3, 2019, shooting. She was remembered as a devoted mother, grandmother and longtime El Paso resident.
- Maria Flores, 77 — Killed after being shot at the El Paso Walmart on August 3, 2019. She and her husband, Raul Flores, had been married for approximately six decades.
- Raul Flores, 83 — Fatally shot on August 3, 2019, while shopping with his wife, Maria. Both died as a result of the attack.
- Guillermo “Memo” Garcia, 36 — Shot in the Walmart parking lot on August 3, 2019, while helping with a fundraising event for his daughter’s soccer team. He remained hospitalized and died from complications of his injuries on April 26, 2020.
- Jorge Calvillo Garcia, 61 — Killed outside the Walmart on August 3, 2019. He was helping his granddaughter and other members of a girls’ soccer team with their fundraising event when the shooting began.
- Adolfo Cerros Hernandez, 68 — A Mexican national who was killed during the August 3, 2019, shooting at the El Paso Walmart.
- Alexander Gerhard Hoffman, 66 — Killed inside the Walmart on August 3, 2019. Hoffman was born in Germany and had lived in El Paso for many years.
- David Johnson, 63 — Fatally shot on August 3, 2019. Johnson attempted to shield his wife and nine-year-old granddaughter as the gunman approached. Both survived.
- Luis Alfonzo Juarez, 90 — The oldest person killed in the attack. He was fatally shot at the Walmart on August 3, 2019.
- Maria Eugenia Legarreta Rothe, 58 — A resident of Chihuahua, Mexico, who was killed on August 3, 2019. She had traveled to El Paso to meet family members at the airport and stopped at Walmart before their arrival.
- Maribel Campos Loya, 56 — Killed at the Walmart on August 3, 2019. Her husband, Leonardo Campos, was also murdered during the attack.
- Ivan Filiberto Manzano, 46 — A businessman and resident of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, who was killed at the El Paso Walmart on August 3, 2019.
- Elsa Mendoza Marquez, 57 — A teacher and school principal from Yepómera, Chihuahua, Mexico. She was killed after entering the Walmart on August 3, 2019, while her husband and son waited outside.
- Gloria Irma Marquez, 61 — Killed during the August 3, 2019, attack at the Walmart. She was an El Paso resident and a mother and grandmother.
- Margie Reckard, 63 — Fatally shot at the Walmart on August 3, 2019. She lived in El Paso with her longtime companion and husband, Antonio Basco.
- Sara Esther Regalado Moriel, 66 — A Mexican national who was killed during the August 3, 2019, shooting. Her husband, Adolfo Cerros Hernandez, was also killed.
- Javier Amir Rodriguez, 15 — The youngest victim. Javier was shopping for school supplies with his uncle when he was killed inside the Walmart on August 3, 2019.
- Teresa Sanchez, 82 — A Mexican national who was visiting El Paso when she was killed during the August 3, 2019, attack.
- Juan de Dios Velazquez Chairez, 77 — Shot after arriving at the Walmart with his wife on August 3, 2019. He attempted to shield her from the gunfire and later died from his injuries.
Escape, Surrender and Confession
Crusius left the Walmart after the shooting and drove away. Police officers and emergency personnel reached the area within minutes, but he was no longer inside the store. Crusius later stopped his vehicle near the intersection of Sunmount Drive and Viscount Boulevard.
He exited the vehicle with his hands raised and surrendered to law-enforcement officers. According to an arrest affidavit, Crusius identified himself as the shooter. During questioning, he waived his constitutional rights and told detectives that his targets had been Mexicans. Investigators connected his statements and actions to the racist document posted online shortly before the massacre.
Investigation and Federal Charges
The El Paso Police Department, Texas Rangers, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives participated in the investigation. Federal authorities treated the massacre as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime because Crusius intentionally targeted people based on their perceived ethnicity and national origin.
On February 6, 2020, a federal grand jury indicted Crusius on 90 charges. These included 23 counts of hate crime resulting in death, 23 counts of using a firearm to commit murder, 22 counts of hate crime involving an attempt to kill and 22 counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence.
Federal prosecutors initially considered seeking the death penalty. In January 2023, however, the United States Department of Justice notified the court that it would not pursue a federal death sentence. Crusius pleaded guilty to all 90 federal charges on February 8, 2023.
Federal Sentencing
Crusius was formally sentenced in federal court on July 7, 2023. During several days of hearings, survivors and relatives of those killed described the physical injuries, grief and lasting psychological trauma caused by the massacre. Some addressed Crusius directly and condemned the racist ideology that motivated the attack.
The federal judge imposed 90 consecutive life sentences. Because the sentences were ordered to run consecutively and without the possibility of parole, Crusius was guaranteed to remain imprisoned for the rest of his life regardless of the outcome of the separate Texas prosecution.
Texas Prosecution and Final State Sentence
Crusius was indicted in Texas on capital murder charges in September 2019. State prosecutors initially intended to seek the death penalty. The case experienced years of delays because of the volume of evidence, legal disputes, changes within the El Paso County District Attorney’s Office and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2025, El Paso County District Attorney James Montoya announced an agreement under which Crusius would plead guilty and receive life imprisonment without parole. Prosecutors stated that the agreement would bring the lengthy case to a conclusion without additional years of litigation and appeals. Although many victims’ relatives supported ending the case, others remained opposed because they wanted prosecutors to continue seeking a death sentence.
On April 21, 2025, Crusius pleaded guilty in Texas state court to capital murder and 22 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He received 23 life sentences without the possibility of parole. The state sentences ensured that he would never be released, in addition to the 90 consecutive federal life sentences already imposed.
Impact and Remembrance
The El Paso Walmart massacre became one of the deadliest attacks against Latino people in modern United States history. It devastated families on both sides of the international border and demonstrated how racist propaganda and extremist conspiracy theories could be used to justify targeted violence.
El Paso residents responded with blood drives, vigils, memorial services and financial assistance for victims and their families. The Grand Candela memorial was installed near the Walmart in November 2019. The illuminated structure was created as a permanent tribute to those murdered in the attack.
The El Paso Community Healing Garden at Ascarate Park was later established to honor the victims and provide a place for reflection. The names of all 23 people killed are preserved there. The site became a nationally recognized memorial representing the victims, survivors, emergency personnel and the larger border community affected by the massacre.
