As Mass Shooting Death Toll Rises, El Paso Works To Heal Residents
EL PASO (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - The death toll in El Paso stands at 22, following a North Texas man's shooting rampage at a Walmart on Saturday.
Today the Texas border city is opening a space focused on helping residents heal from the tragedy. Visitors to the center can receive counseling, travel assistance and financial support. The family assistance area, opened in the convention center in downtown El Paso, will be open 10 hours a day.
CBS 11 News reporter Andrea Lucia is in El Paso and spoke to one local resident who was waiting to get inside the assistance center Tuesday. Victor Liserio explained that he was at the nearby shopping mall when the shooting happened and came to the center to address a practical concern.
Liserio's car has been stuck in the crime scene for days. The elderly man and his wife told CBS 11 they are still scared... but that life still moves forward.
Here in North Texans residents are preparing to pay their respects at a vigil tonight in Fort Worth.
Suspected shooter Patrick Crusius drove at least 10 hours from Allen to El Paso. Police tell CBS News he stopped at the Walmart because he was hungry and randomly decided to carry out his attack at the store.
Crusius has been assigned a public defender. He is charged with capital murder in El Paso County, but the massacre is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism -- meaning the 21-year-old could also be charged with a hate crime in federal court.
Many in El Paso in part blame President Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric for the shooting and have mixed feelings about his scheduled visit tot he city on Wednesday. Some have urged him not to come, but Monday CBS 11 heard from one victim's family who said they hope he can offer a message of comfort.
