'United our community will heal': 20 dead, 26 injured in Texas shooting

A Texas State Trooper walks back to his car while providing security outside the Walmart store in the aftermath of a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019. A Texas State Trooper walks back to his car while providing security outside the Walmart store in the aftermath of a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019. Photo: Andres Leighton, AP Photo: Andres Leighton, AP Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close 'United our community will heal': 20 dead, 26 injured in Texas shooting 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirms 20 people are dead and more than two dozen are injured following a shooting that happened Saturday at an El Paso shopping center.

"Now is the time for Texans to come together, to support each other and to help these families in need," the governor said.

Officials said they are investigating this as a possible hate crime.

The first call went out at 10:39 a.m. local time for an active shooter. Authorities said the first officer arrived on scene six minutes later. Police said they were initially given multiple possible locations for the shooting, at the Walmart and the Cielo Vista Mall next door.

Sgt. Robert Gomez, with the El Paso Police Department, said most of the victims were attacked at Walmart, based on preliminary information. It happened when families were preparing to return to school. Officials estimate up to 3,000 people were inside the store at the time of the shooting.

Officials said they have one person in custody, a white man in his 20s. The suspect, who used a rifle, was taken into custody without incident, police said. Authorities believe there was one sole shooter.

Sources told CNN the suspect is 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, of Allen, Texas.

The state of Texas will be the lead in prosecution of the suspect and it is currently looking at potential capital murder charges.

The FBI has opened a domestic terrorism investigation, a source familiar with the investigative process told CNN.

Of the 20 killed, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said on Twitter, that three are Mexicans.

Additionally, six Mexicans are wounded, Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard, said on Twitter.

A spokesperson for University Medical Center of El Paso, Ryan Mielke, said 13 people were taken to the hospital with injuries, including one person who died. Mielke said two of the victims were children. They were transferred to El Paso Children's Hospital, according to the Associated Press.

Eleven victims were being treated at Del Sol Medical Center, according to Victor Guerrero, the hospital spokesperson. He said the ages of the victims range from 35 to 82.

El Paso Mayor Dee Margo said in a news conference El Paso will not be defined by this act of violence.

"United our community will heal," he said.

Video showed people being directed en masse out of a store and through a mall by police, who repeatedly told them to keep their hands up.

Kendall Long said he heard a succession of gunshots, as well as people saying “run” and “shooter,” KVIA-TV reported.

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"We never thought it would be so close to us this time," restaurant manager Oscar Collazo said. "You see on the news all the time, but you don't think it could happen here until it does."

The White House said President Donald Trump was briefed on the shooting and has spoken to Attorney General William Barr and Abbott.

The president responded to the news of the shooting on Twitter. "Terrible shootings in El Paso, Texas. Reports are very bad, many killed. Working with State and Local authorities, and Law Enforcement. Spoke to Governor to pledge total support of Federal Government. God be with you all," he said.

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, who once represented the area in Congress, asked residents to follow the directions of first responders.

"Truly heartbreaking," O'Rourke said on Twitter. "Stay safe, El Paso."

The scene unfolded in the same week two employees were fatally shot at a Walmart store in Southaven, Mississippi, and three people were shot and killed at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California.

This is the 21st mass killing in the United States in 2019 and the fifth public mass shooting.

The Associated Press has contributed to this report.