A tragic shooting occurred at the Cielo Vista Mall in East El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday early evening, resulting in one fatality. At around 5 p.m., four men were shot, and two were rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Two men were taken into custody, and a weapon was found at the scene.
Investigators believe that the shooting first occurred at the mall’s food court.
This mall is located in the same shopping center as the El Paso Walmart, where Patrick Crusius carried out a racially motivated attack in 2019, resulting in 23 deaths. Crusius entered a guilty plea for his heinous crime only last week.
The scene was later secured, and authorities worked into the night to clear the building and begin a preliminary investigation, police said.
Governor Abbott tweeted that El Paso had his full support. He said, “I spoke to Mayor Leeser about the shooting tonight in El Paso. l offered the full support of the State of Texas, including the assistance of the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Division of Emergency Management to help the city of El Paso respond to this tragic event.”
Authorities have a heavy presence in the area, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott also expressed his gratitude to first responders for taking swift action.