Allen Police Confirm El Paso Shooter's Mother Called Department Weeks Before Mass Shooting
(CBSDFW.COM/CNN) - The Allen Police Department confirmed at a press conference Thursday evening that the El Paso shooter's mother told police weeks ago that she was concerned about her son owning an "AK" type gun.
Saturday's shooting at an El Paso shopping area left 22 dead and dozens injured. Patrick Crusius, 21, of Allen is suspected in the deadly rampage after police said he drove from North Texas to El Paso and went on the shooting spree at a Walmart.
According to the family's attorneys Chris Ayres and R. Jack Ayres, the mother had contacted Allen police because she was worried about her son owning the weapon due to his age, maturity level and lack of experience handling such a firearm.
Allen Police Sergeant John Felty said Crusius' mother called the department's main line on June 27, 2019 at approximately 11:15 a.m. An internal security camera recorded one side of the conversation since main line phone calls are not recorded.
During the call, the mother was transferred to a public safety officer who told her that -- based on her description of the situation -- her son was legally allowed to purchase the weapon, the attorneys said. The mother did not provide her name or her son's name, and police did not seek any additional information from her before the call concluded, they added.
However, Felty said the public safety officer answered informational questions about firearms possession and ownership and additionally inquired about the emotional state and intentions of the person who had ordered the weapon.
The family's attorneys also said they never heard him articulate views contained in a racist screed that appeared online before the attack.
And Felty said Crusius' mother indicated that her inquiry "was not motivated out of a concern that her son posed a threat to anybody."
It is not known whether the gun his mother inquired about is the weapon used in the attack.
In response to public records requests for information on Crusius, the Allen Police Department provided no reports documenting the call from the mother.
The police said in a statement only three minor incidents -- one, a false burglar alarm at the family home, another when Crusius was a passenger in a bus involved in a minor traffic accident and a third when he ran away from home but returned 30 minutes later -- "are the entirety of our dealings with Mr. Crusius, in any capacity, be it suspect, witness, reporting party, or in any other manner."
According to the family's attorneys, the mother's inquiry was "informational" in nature and was not motivated out of a concern that her son posed a threat to anybody.
"This was not a volatile, explosive, erratic behaving kid," said Chris Ayres. "It's not like alarm bells were going off."
Family members declined further comment through their lawyers.
Crusius been charged with capital murder and is being held without bond at the El Paso County Detention Facility. District Attorney Jaime Esparza said his office will seek the death penalty.
Additionally, U.S. Attorney John Bash said the Justice Department is also looking into federal hate crime and domestic terrorism charges.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. CNN Wire contributed to this report. The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company contributed to this report. All rights reserved.)
