El Paso Shooter's Mom Says She Called Police About Son, Weeks Before Attack
Says she spoke to local police about gun bought by son after becoming concerned
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The mom of the suspected gunman in the El Paso, Texas mass-shooting last Saturday, that left 22 people dead and many more injured, says she called police weeks before the attack over concerns about her son's new gun.
According to attorneys for the suspected shooter, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, the mother called the police to ask questions about the weapon but didn't report a crime or threat.
According to investigators, Crusius allegedly opened fire inside a crowded Walmart in the Texas city on Saturday with an AK-47-style rifle.
The Crusius family's lawyer, Chris Ayres, told The Associated Press the mom contacted the Allen Police Department concerning misgivings she had about a rifle her son had.
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Ayres told CBS News there was "absolutely no fear of violence nor any belief of an intent to do harm" that led her to contact authorities.
The gunman's actions, his family told The Wall Street Journal, "were apparently influenced and informed by people we do not know, and from ideas and beliefs we do not accept or condone."
“He was raised in a family that taught love, kindness, respect, and tolerance — rejecting all forms of racism, prejudice, hatred, and violence," his family said.
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According to Fox News, the mass shooting in El Paso on Saturday was one of the deadliest in modern U.S. history.
At least 22 people were killed and another 25 were injured when the gunman opened fire inside the busy Walmart full of back-to-school shoppers.
The sister of a couple who was killed during the #ElPaso #MassShooting last weekend has blasted Democratic politicians for politicizing the tragedy, calling them "pure evil" for blaming President Donald Trump for the attack.
— Neon Nettle (@NeonNettle) August 7, 2019
READ MORE: https://t.co/5ypZkYgDHG#JordanAndreAnchondo
An El Paso police spokesperson said Tuesday the suspect surrendered by getting out of his car with his hands raised after being confronted roughly a quarter-mile from the store.
Officials said he confessed to an officer on a motorcycle that he was the shooter.
Crusius was booked on capital murder charges.
The El Paso district attorney said his office will seek the death penalty against the suspect, and federal authorities are investigating the massacre as domestic terrorism.
Separately, hours later, another gunman in Dayton, Ohio, opened fire outside a bar, killing nine people.
Authorities said the suspect was armed with a .223-caliber rifle.
