Patrick Wood Crusius
Patrick Wood Crusius, the 21-year-old defendant charged in the 2019 Walmart mass shooting, was charged Thursday in another death. A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment. In a press release, the Department of Justice said that a man who had been shot died as a result of his injuries on April 25. His name was Guillermo “Memo” Garcia, 36.
Prosecutors adjusted charges to reflect the new charge of a hate crime resulting in death.
Today’s federal grand jury superseding indictment includes 23 counts of hate crimes resulting in death (counts 1-23), 23 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder during and in relation to a crime of violence (counts 24-46), 22 counts of hate crimes involving an attempt to kill (counts 47-68), and 22 counts of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence (counts 69-90).
Crusius previously pleaded not guilty in the case, according to online records viewed by Law&Crime.
Prosecutors said that he bought a GP WASR-10 semi-automatic rifle and 1,000 rounds of hollow point ammunition online in June 2019. On the following Aug. 3, he drove west across Texas from Allen to El Paso, then opened fire at a Walmart, authorities said. Garcia’s passing brought the death toll to 23.
According to officials, Cruisius made no secret of his motive: this was a hate crime against Hispanic people.
“This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas,” he allegedly wrote in a racist screed he posted online. “They are the instigators, not me. I am simply defending my country from cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by the invasion.”
Garcia and his wife had been at the Walmart the day of the shooting to sell lemonade for their kids’ soccer team. During the incident, Garcia sustained two gunshots to his leg and another one to his back while protecting his children. His wife Jessica Garcia was hit struck in her legs by three bullets.
[Image via El Paso Police Department and Getty Images]