Two victims of Saturday’s mass shooting in El Paso have also lost their lives after theu died on Monday morning, raising the number of fatalities in the massacre to 22, officials said.
The mass shooting — one of the worst in modern United States’ history — unfolded at a Walmart around 11 a.m. Saturday, as 21-year-old suspect Patrick Crusius, allegedly opened fire in the store, initially killing at least 20 and injuring another 26.
Police and hospital officials announced that two additional people who were wounded in the attack died Monday.
The Walmart was almost full at the time of the shooting, with hundreds of shoppers inside along with 100 employees during the busy back-to-school shopping season.
Crusius was booked on capital murder charges. Authorities said on Sunday that the crimes he’s accused of are being investigated as domestic terrorism. Officials were also looking into whether hate crime charges against Crusius are appropriate.
El Paso District Attorney Jaime Esparza said his office will seek the death penalty against the suspect.
“The loss of life is so great, we certainly have never seen this in our community. We are a very safe community,” he told reporters at a news conference on Sunday. “We pride ourselves on the fact that we’re so safe, and certainly this community is rocked, shocked and saddened by what has happened here yesterday.”
Also, a few hours later, a gunman wearing a mask, bulletproof vest, earplugs and carrying a rifle capable of holding at least 100 rounds also opened fire, outside a bar in Dayton, Ohio. At least nine people were killed and 27 others were wounded.
Some victims of the El Paso mass shooting have been identified. Among those killed was a 60-year-old man at the self-checkout line while his wife was in the bathroom, a 15-year-old who was weeks away from starting 10th grade and six Mexican citizens. A mother-of-three, who was shielding her 2-year-old son from gunfire, was fatally shot — her husband was, too.