El Paso shooting: ‘Random incident’ between two groups of men led to Cielo Vista Mall shooting

The shooting which unfolded in a mall in El Paso, Texas, this week was the result of a “random incident” between two groups of men, according to investigators.

Gunfire erupted at around 5pm on Wednesday in the food court of the Cielo Vista Mall, leaving one man killed and another three men wounded. Two suspects – both male – were quickly arrested.

In a press conference on Thursday afternoon, El Paso interim Police Chief Peter Pacillas said that the shooting was not gang related but came about when two groups got into a “confrontation” and “physical altercation” in the food court.

“This is a random incident encounter between two groups. I want to emphasise this. This is a random incident that occurred between two groups at the mall,” he said.

During the altercation, one man pulled out a hangun and shots were fired.

The shooting has brought back “bad memories” for the El Paso community, with Cielo Vista Mall being located directly adjacent to the Walmart store where 23 people were killed in a racially-motivated mass shooting back in August 2019.

Key points

• El Paso shooting was result of ‘random incident’ between two groups.

• Police reassure El Paso ‘this was no attack against the community’

• Father of Uvalde victim blasts Governor Abbott after El Paso shooting

• CNN anchor notes ‘blip of momentum for gun legislation that quickly faded'

• Beto O’Rourke shares his outrage after yet another mass shooting

• PHOTOS: Law enforcement responds to El Paso shooting

Ex-Trump admin official says aunt was hiding from El Paso gunman after surviving nearby 2019 massacre

Thursday 16 February 2023 15:30 , Gustaf Kilander

A former Trump administration official has said that her aunt was hiding from the El Paso gunman after surviving the 2019 massacre in the same area.

Olivia Troye was the Homeland Security and Counterterrorism adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence before resigning in August 2020.

“My aunt is currently in hiding at Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, TX, as this active shooter scenario is still unfolding,” Ms Troye wrote at 8.22pm on Wednesday night. “She survived the 2019 Wal-Mart El Paso shooting thanks to someone who pulled her to safety. What is it going to take to enact change?!”

“My aunt is now safe and out of Cielo Vista Mall,” she added at 9.28pm. “Thank you once again to the amazing stranger who pulled her to safety once again this time around. Heartbroken for my hometown of El Paso, the victims and their families.”

Read more:

Ex-Trump official says aunt hiding from El Paso gunman after surviving 2019 massacre

Cielo Vista Mall workers who survived 2019 Walmart massacre describe horror of latest El Paso mass shooting

Thursday 16 February 2023 16:00 , Rachel Sharp

Shopping mall workers who survived the 2019 Walmart massacre have described their horror at finding themselves in the midst of the latest mass shooting to rock El Paso, Texas.

One victim was killed and three others hospitalised when gunfire erupted inside the Cielo Vista Mall on Wednesday.

Two male suspects have now been taken into custody with the motive still unknown.

The Cielo Vista Mall is directly adjacent to the Walmart store where a lone gunman murdered 23 people in a racist attack back in August 2019.

Several of the same local residents and workers who survived that day three years ago were at the mall on Wednesday, living through their second mass shooting in the space of less than four years.

Read more:

Survivors of 2019 Walmart massacre describe horror of Cielo Vista Mall mass shooting

Steady increase in number of mass shootings over last decade

Thursday 16 February 2023 16:30 , Gustaf Kilander

There were 647 mass shootings in the US last year, according to the gun violence archive.

There have been 72 so far this year.

At least 5,442 people have died in 2023 from gun violence as of 16 February and 4,033 people have been injured.

Of the deaths, 3,102 were suicides.

The number of mass shootings has seen a steady increase since 2014, when there were 269 mass shootings, compared to 2020 when that number has risen to 611, the archive notes.

PHOTOS: Law enforcement respond to El Paso shooting

Thursday 16 February 2023 17:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Video: Gunman opens fire at El Paso shopping mall

Thursday 16 February 2023 17:30 , The Independent

Everything we know about the massacre at Cielo Vista Mall

Thursday 16 February 2023 18:00 , Rachel Sharp

One man has been killed and another three men wounded in a mass shooting in a shopping mall in El Paso, Texas, sparking renewed terror in a local community still scarred from the last massacre three years ago.

Two suspects – both male – are now in police custody over the incident that unfolded at Cielo Vista Mall on Wednesday late afternoon.

All four victims are males with two of the survivors still in critical condition in hospital.

The shooting has brought back “bad memories” for the El Paso community, with Cielo Vista Mall being located directly adjacent to the Walmart store where 23 people were killed in a racially-motivated mass shooting back in August 2019.

This latest massacre also comes at a time when America is facing a surge in mass shootings – and with it, growing calls for tighter gun control to prevent more communities from being torn apart by gun violence.

Here’s what we know so far about the latest mass shooting in El Paso:

Everything we know about the mass shooting at the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, Texas

CNN anchor notes ‘blip of momentum for gun legislation that quickly faded'

Thursday 16 February 2023 18:30 , Gustaf Kilander

CNN anchor and national security correspondent Jim Sciutto tweeted on Thursday about the possibility of new gun legislation that didn’t end up becoming law after previous mass shootings.

“I covered the 2019 El Paso shooting, which was quickly followed by the Dayton shooting. There was a blip of momentum for gun legislation then that quickly faded. And now El Paso in the news again,” he wrote.

Beto O’Rourke shares his outrage after yet another mass shooting

Thursday 16 February 2023 19:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Beto O’Rourke, the former Texas congressman and former Democratic nominee for senate, governor, and 2020 primary candidate for president, shared his outrage on Wednesday night after the shooting.

“This shooting at Cielo Vista is painful for El Paso, especially the families of those killed at the nearby Walmart in 2019. I don’t know the details yet. But what I do know is that I love this town and I will do everything I can to stop this from happening again,” he wrote.

New York Rep says he’s ‘damn tired of having to see people running for their lives'

Thursday 16 February 2023 19:30 , Gustaf Kilander

New York Congressman Ritchie Torres shared his frustration at the repetitive nature of mass shootings on Wednesday night.

“1 person died, several were injured at the food court inside the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, Texas. The mall is next to the Walmart store where a gunman killed 23 people in Aug 2019. I’m damn tired of having to see people running for their lives almost daily in public places,” he tweeted.

New background checks effort in Congress within a year of first gun safety legislation passed in decades

Thursday 16 February 2023 20:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy is once again trying to put legislative action on the table after Wednesday night’s mass shooting in El Paso and the shooting at Michigan State University earlier this week.

Mr Murphy, who has been a high-profile advocate of gun control since the 2012 school shooting in Newtown in his state, is set to re-introduce legislation on expanding background checks on the sale and transfer of all guns, with some limited exceptions.

The bill has 47 cosponsors in the Senate and in the House, California Democrat Mike Thompson and Pennsylvania Republican Brian Fitzpatrick have introduced a version of the bill, according to Politico.

The fresh attempt comes within a year of the passing of the first gun safety legislation in decades, but it didn’t reach Democratic goals of universal background checks.

Twitter users admonish Republicans and gun lobby after El Paso shooting

Thursday 16 February 2023 20:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Twitter users blasted Republicans and the gun lobby after the mass shooting in El Paso.

“Another mass shooting in El Paso. NO, this isn’t a headline from the 2019 El Paso mass shooting in which 23 were killed. This is a headline from TODAY. Republicans did this. They are the authors of this daily carnage. CALL THEM OUT. My generation needs to vote these f***ers out!” Lindy Li wrote. “My fellow millennials and Gen Zers, Republicans failed us. One of the two major parties in our country is a loud and proud domestic terrorist org. The time for patience and politeness is OVER.”

“So pissed and devastated about all these senseless killings,” she said.

The account Trending Liberal said, “I know it’s my job to tweet about the Cielo Mall Shooting in El Paso. Just after the Michigan State shooting. And after over 50 more shootings in January. But f*** it. I’m done. You know it’s the NRA. You know it’s Republicans blocking sane gun reform. WTF more is there to say?”

Jeff Tiedrich added: “#BREAKING: Well-Regulated Militia Opens Fire In Cielo Vista Mall In El Paso, Texas; Cheap Thoughts And Useless Prayers Now Being Rushed To The Scene ... more on this soon-to-be-forgotten-and-then-repeated story as it develops.”

George Hahn wrote simply that “the problem is guns”.

VIDEO: 1 dead, 3 injured in El Paso mall shooting

Thursday 16 February 2023 21:00 , The Independent

Shooting ‘brought back bad memories’ from 2019 for mall staff

Thursday 16 February 2023 21:30 , Gustaf Kilander

In the 2019 shooting, 23 people were killed and an additional 23 were injured in what was described as a far-right attack on Latinos. It took place at the Walmart next to the mall. The 24-year-old shooter pled guilty to 90 federal charges last week in a plea deal.

Two of those who were wounded in Wednesday’s shooting were taken to the University Medical Center of El Paso in critical condition, according to CNN.

Robert Gonzalez was at the mall on Wednesday as well as during the 2019 shooting. He told CNN he spotted people “running to the exit” and that he was working at the mall “the last time this happened with the Walmart shooting so it just brought back bad memories”.

PHOTOS: Emergency services arrive at scene of El Paso shooting

Thursday 16 February 2023 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander

‘It is definitely going to be more difficult to be going in to work'

Thursday 16 February 2023 22:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Marie Hall told KFOX that she had just arrived for work at the mall’s food court when she heard gunfire, prompting her to hide in a walk-in fridge with another member of staff at the salad shop and two customers.

“Nothing prepares you for that,” she said.

She added that she “didn’t really feel safe” going to work “in the beginning because of the shooting in 2019. … It is definitely going to be more difficult to be going in to work”.

‘We felt the same feelings come back to us as the day of the Walmart shooting'

Thursday 16 February 2023 23:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Albert Hernandez lost his sister and brother-in-law in the 2019 El Paso shooting, telling KFOX that he thinks politicians are “not accepting the full scope of the situation” regarding gun violence and that they’re “numb to what’s going on”.

“We felt the same feelings come back to us as the day of the Walmart shooting. Everything comes back and we’re just wondering, now what? How many people are going to get hurt?” he said.

‘It just brought back bad memories'

Thursday 16 February 2023 23:45 , Rachel Sharp

Robert Gonzalez told CNN that Wednesday’s shooting at the Cielo Vista Mall brought back “bad memories” of the Walmart mass shooting.

“I was working [at the mall] the last time this happened with the Walmart shooting so it just brought back bad memories,” said Mr Gonzalez.

He said that he “saw people running to the exit” of the mall on Wednesday and he fled to his car.

Mall worker shelters in same store as three years ago

00:30 , Rachel Sharp

Mall worker Brandon Chavez, 29, told CNN that he has now lived through the two mass shootings within a half-mile radius.

He was working in the Buckle clothing store located across from the food court when Wednesday’s shooting unfolded, he said.

Mr Chavez said that employees and customers banded together to barricade themselves inside the store and then hide in the stock room until it was safe to come out.

It was a stark reminder of 2019 when he said he was also forced to shelter in the store.

2019 attack was one of the worst mass shootings in American history

01:15 , Rachel Sharp

On 3 August 2019, Patrick Crusius, now 24, drove 10 hours from his home in Dallas to the largely Hispanic community.

There, he entered the Walmart on a busy weekend and opened fire, killing 23 and wounding more than two dozen more in what remains one of the worst mass shootings in American history.

Prosecutors say he intentionally targeted the store in the Hispanic community due to his extremist, racist beliefs.

Before the massacre, he had posted a racist document online claiming the shooting was “in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas”.

Just one week before this latest shooting, Crusius pleaded guilty to federal hate crime and weapons charges.

Three men rushed to hospital after shooting

02:00 , Rachel Sharp

El Paso Interim Police Chief Peter Pacillas said that officers then arrived at the shopping mall to find one victim – a male – dead at the scene.

Three other male victims were rushed to local hospitals – two at University Medical Center in El Paso and the third at the Del Sol Medical Center.

In an initial press conference, Sgt Gomez said that officers were sweeping the mall for a second gunman.

In a second press conference, police confirmed that the second suspect had also been taken into custody.

However, Chief Pacillas reassured the public that “there is no more danger. I want to repeat that – There is no more danger to the public”.

How the shooting unfolded

03:00 , Rachel Sharp

Gunfire erupted at around 5pm on Wednesday in the food court of the Cielo Vista Mall, causing terrified shoppers and workers to flee and barricade themselves inside stores.

“During this incident, it was chaotic,” El Paso Sgt Robert Gomez said at a press conference.

“People did flee. They were scared. There was shots fired in the mall, it does cause panic.”

The first suspect was apprehended within minutes – by 5.08pm – by an off-duty law enforcement officer who was working security at the mall at the time.

The officer heroically responded to the gunfire and quickly subdued the gunman.

El Paso Interim Police Chief Peter Pacillas said that officers arrived at the shopping mall to find one victim – a male – dead at the scene.

VIDEO: Deadly Texas mall shooting update by authorities

04:00 , The Independent

Texas’ record on gun violence

05:00 , Rachel Sharp

Throughout Mr Abbott’s eight-year tenure as governor, Texas has been rocked by at least six other major mass shootings, according to a Texas Tribune database.

In November 2017, 26 people were murdered and another 20 wounded when a 26-year-old gunman opened fire during Sunday service at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs.

Just six months later in May 2018, a 17-year-old student killed eight classmates and two students at Santa Fe High School.

One year later in August 2019, the racist attack took place at the El Paso Walmart.

Last year, on 24 May 2022, an 18-year-old armed with a legally purchased AR-15 entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and murdered 19 small children and two teachers.

Mr Abbott has come under fire for his reaction to the Uvalde massacre as he has refused the requests of grieving families, the Uvalde community and state lawmakers to call a legislative session to even discuss the possibility of changing the state’s weak gun laws.

Since taking office, the Republican has relaxed gun laws in the state.

Less than one year before Uvalde, in June 2021, he signed a bill into law allowing Texans without a licence to open-carry handguns.

Ex-Trump admin official says aunt was hiding from El Paso gunman after surviving nearby 2019 massacre

06:00 , Gustaf Kilander

A former Trump administration official has said that her aunt was hiding from the El Paso gunman after surviving the 2019 massacre in the same area.

Olivia Troye was the Homeland Security and Counterterrorism adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence before resigning in August 2020.

One man was killed and three were injured in the shooting at a mall in El Paso in southern Texas on Wednesday night. A massacre took place not far from the mall just three years earlier.

Two men were detained after shots were fired at Cielo Vista Mall, police said.

“It was chaotic. People did flee. They were scared,” police Sgt Robert Gomez said, according to CNN.

Read more:

Ex-Trump official says aunt hiding from El Paso gunman after surviving 2019 massacre

The NRA’s close ties to Texas

07:00 , Rachel Sharp

Texas has some of the most lax gun laws in the US – and a high prominence of horrific mass shootings.

The loose laws come as state lawmakers have long enjoyed a cosy relationship with the NRA.

In the last five years, the NRA has spent more than $2m lobbying Texas state lawmakers – more than double its spending in Florida, which receives the second highest amount of money, data from Open Secrets reveals.

Campaign contributions have been markedly lower with the group’s PAC channeling around $60,000 to pro-gun Republicans in the state.

Among those, Greg Abbott tops the list with $5,000 in campaign funds.

Data compiled by Giffords shows that Mr Abbott has $20,700 in career gun lobby contributions – one of the highest of all candidates in gubernatorial races.

And during his time in office, Texas has continued to loosen its already lax gun laws.

Less than one year before Uvalde, in June 2021, Mr Abbott signed a bill into law allowing Texans without a licence to open carry handguns.

Standing at his shoulder at the bill signing were NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre and NRA president Carolyn Meadows.

Mr LaPierre – who has been accused of using the group as his “personal piggy bank” – even spoke at the signing.

“In this increasingly dangerous world, people want to be able to protect themselves, and thank God Texas is leading the way for the country,” he said.

Mr Abbott has the highest possible rating of A+ from the NRA’s Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) and the gun PAC is endorsing him for the governor role.

On the webpage endorsing Mr Abbott, the NRA celebrates the fact that Mr Abbott has signed more than two dozen pro-gun bills into law in his role and has “tenaciously defended the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Texans”.

Mall shooting comes one week after Walmart gunman pleaded guilty

08:00 , Rachel Sharp

The Cielo Vista Mall shooting comes exactly one week after the gunman who killed 23 in the Walmart shooting changed his plea to guilty.

On 3 August 2019, Patrick Crusius, now 24, entered the Walmart on a busy weekend and opened fire.

He killed 23 people, including citizens of Mexico, and wounded more two dozen more in what remains one of the worst mass shootings in American history.

Prosecutors say he intentionally targeted the store in the Hispanic community due to his extremist, racist beliefs.

Before the massacre, he had posted a racist document online claiming the shooting was “in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas”.

Last Wednesday, Crusius pleaded guilty to federal hate crime and weapons charges.

Twitter users slam Texas governor after El Paso shooting

09:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Congresswoman slams Greg Abbott over lack of gun control

10:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Member of congress Veronica Escobar tore into Texas governor Greg Abbott after a gunman opened fire, killing one person and injuring three others at a mall in El Paso.

“How about gun violence prevention legislation for our community’s security,” she said in a response to Mr Abbott’s tweet on the incident.

“You promised you would take action after the August 3rd shooting and you’ve done nothing but loosen gun laws.

“The legislature is in session. Be a man of your word for once and do something!”

Shooting was result of ‘random incident’ between two groups.

10:38 , Rachel Sharp

The shooting which unfolded in a mall in El Paso, Texas, this week was the result of a “random incident” between two groups of men, according to investigators.

Gunfire erupted at around 5pm on Wednesday in the food court of the Cielo Vista Mall, leaving one man killed and another three men wounded. Two suspects – both male – were quickly arrested.

In a press conference on Thursday afternoon, El Paso interim Police Chief Peter Pacillas said that the shooting was not gang related but came about when two groups got into a “confrontation” and “physical altercation” in the food court.

“This is a random incident encounter between two groups. I want to emphasise this. This is a random incident that occurred between two groups at the mall,” he said.

During the altercation, one man pulled out a hangun and shots were fired.

“During that fight, Group B, one person produced a handgun, and shots were fired,” he said.

“As a result of the shooting, one member in Group A was fatally wounded and deceased at the scene.

“Two persons in Group B were wounded and are listed in stable condition at local area hospitals.”

What happened in 2019?

11:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The latest shooting in El Paso comes as the community is still in the midst of processing and trying to recover from the trauma of the 2019 mass shooting that was one of the deadliest hate crimes in recent US history.

The perpetrator of that crime, Patrick Wood Crusius, plead guilty to 90 federal murder and hate crimes charges on February 8 — just a week before this mass shooting at a site just a half mile away.

Crusius bought the semiautomatic firearm and ammunition he used in the 2019 shooting legally; since then, Texas has further loosened its gun laws even as it and states across the nation have continued to see frequent mass shootings.

Victims and suspects ages revealed

11:30 , Rachel Sharp

The identities of those involved in the shooting – including the victims and suspects – have not been publically released.

However, El Paso interim Police Chief Peter Pacillas said on Thursday that all individuals involved ranged in age from their late teens to early 20s.

The two suspects remain in custody.

Ex-Trump admin official says aunt was hiding from El Paso gunman after surviving nearby 2019 massacre

12:00 , Gustaf Kilander

A former Trump administration official has said that her aunt was hiding from the El Paso gunman after surviving the 2019 massacre in the same area.

Olivia Troye was the Homeland Security and Counterterrorism adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence before resigning in August 2020.

One man was killed and three were injured in the shooting at a mall in El Paso in southern Texas on Wednesday night. A massacre took place not far from the mall just three years earlier.

Two men were detained after shots were fired at Cielo Vista Mall, police said.

“It was chaotic. People did flee. They were scared,” police Sgt Robert Gomez said, according to CNN.

Read more:

Ex-Trump official says aunt hiding from El Paso gunman after surviving 2019 massacre

Three people were ‘legally armed’ during shooting

12:30 , Rachel Sharp

At least three people were found to be legally carrying handguns in the mall at the time of the shooting, El Paso interim Police Chief Peter Pacillas said.

In a press conference on Thursday afternoon, he said that during the investigation police located three people at the mall who were found to be armed – but were lawfully carrying under Texas law.

It is not clear if these three individuals were among those involved in the shooting,

In Texas, people aged 21 and older can legally carry firearms in public.

Some locations are classed as exempt locations but the Cielo Vista Mall is not among them.

Cielo Vista Mall workers who survived 2019 Walmart massacre describe horror of latest El Paso mass shooting

13:00 , Rachel Sharp

Shopping mall workers who survived the 2019 Walmart massacre have described their horror at finding themselves in the midst of the latest mass shooting to rock El Paso, Texas.

One victim was killed and three others hospitalised when gunfire erupted inside the Cielo Vista Mall on Wednesday.

Two male suspects have now been taken into custody with the motive still unknown.

The Cielo Vista Mall is directly adjacent to the Walmart store where a lone gunman murdered 23 people in a racist attack back in August 2019.

Several of the same local residents and workers who survived that day three years ago were at the mall on Wednesday, living through their second mass shooting in the space of less than four years.

Read more:

Survivors of 2019 Walmart massacre describe horror of Cielo Vista Mall mass shooting