What was supposed to be a normal Saturday morning for shoppers at the Walmart next to the popular Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, Texas, turned into a nightmare when a gunman open fired in the store, ultimately killing 22 people and injuring dozens more.

The shooter entered the store with an explicit intent to kill Hispanic people, who he allegedly posted in an online manifesto are part of an “invasion” of America. The gunman is facing murder charges and a federal hate crime investigation, and the massacre has sparked a national debate over the rising danger of white supremacist groups.

El Paso sits on the border in the far western part of the state and has a population that is 80% Hispanic. Crossing the border to shop at stores, such as Walmart, is common in the area.

The victims of the attack reflect El Paso’s diversity: 13 were US citizens, eight Mexican citizens and one was a German citizen. Most were parents, leaving behind children and grandchildren. Some of their stories have been amplified by family members and friends as they remember their lost loved ones.

Jordan Anchondo and her husband, who both died in a mass shooting in El Paso. Photograph: Courtesy of family

Jordan Anchondo, 25, and Andre Anchondo, 24

Jordan and Andre Anchondo went to Walmart to buy school supplies for their five-year-old daughter, who they had just dropped off at cheerleading practice, and to pick up food for a barbecue to celebrate their first anniversary, their daughter’s birthday and the construction of their new home. Their two-month-old baby was with them.

The shooter opened fired on Jordan and Andre, killing both. The baby survived with a few broken fingers, which Jordan’s family says is the result of his mother trying to shield him during the attack.

“When she got shot, she was holding him and she fell on him, so that’s why he broke some of his bones. So he pretty much lives because she gave her life,” Jordan’s sister, Leta Jamrowski, 19, told the Associated Press.

Jordan’s family told CNN that they believe that Andre jumped in front of Jordan when the shooter aimed at him.

“We pray a lot, and we have a lot of family and friends, but you’re just broken,” said Mist Jamrowski, Jordan’s mother. “You go to call her, but you forget that she’s not there.”

Patricia Benavides holds a picture of herself and her husband on their wedding day, at their home in El Paso, Texas. Photograph: Astrid Galvan/AP

Arturo Benavides, 60

Arturo Benavides and his wife, Patricia, were paying for their groceries at the register when the gunman opened fire, according to his great-niece. His wife survived, but Benavides was killed.

An army veteran who retired about two years ago after working as a bus driver, Benavides was “a natural storyteller”, Jacklin Luna, his great-niece, told the Washington Post.

“He was starting to enjoy his time just at home, he would sit outside with his oldies music – he loved the 60s and the 70s – and his dog, who he just fell in love with,” Luna said. “Something as simple as that would make him happy.

A photo of victim Jorge Calvillo García, a Mexican national, rests on flowers at a makeshift memorial honoring victims outside Walmart, near the scene of a mass shooting. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Jorge Calvillo, 61

A father of three children, Jorge Calvillo García was outside Walmart helping his granddaughter, Emily, fundraise with her soccer team when the attack started. Calvillo’s nephew, Raul Ortega, told KFOX that he tried to shield the young girls. His son, Luis, a coach for the team, was also shot but survived.

Originally from Gómez Palacio, Mexico, Calvillo recently moved to El Paso, where he was working as an accountant.

“He left a beautiful human being, an excellent dad, uncle, husband and brother. It’s not goodbye here, but see you soon,” Elizabeth Calvillo, his sister, wrote on Facebook.

Leonard Campos, 41, and Maribel Hernandez, 56

Leonard Campos and Maribel Hernandez’s family knew something was wrong when Maribel didn’t pick up their dog from the groomers. She was never late.

Going to Walmart was a routine for the couple, who had been married for 16 years. They loved doing cookouts on Saturday, Hernandez’s brother, Albert Hernandez, told local news station KFOX.

“It’s very surreal at first. How could it happen to us in a safe city like El Paso?” Albert said. “We were in shock, and we’re now coming into reality.”

Angelina Englisbee, 86

Angelina Englisbee was on the phone with her son minutes before the gunman attacked, according to CNN.

Englisbee raised seven children on her own after her husband died of a heart attack. Mia Peake, 16, her granddaughter, said that Englisbee was “a very strong person, very blunt”.

Raul Flores, 83, and Maria Flores, 77

Raul and Maria Flores were married for 60 years, after meeting in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, in the 1950s. They have three children, 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, with an 11th great-grandchild on the way.

The couple were at Walmart to purchase air mattresses for visiting relatives. Family told the Washington Post that the couple, especially Maria, loved hosting and cooking for their family.

“They didn’t deserve to go this way, but for me, I take comfort in knowing that they went together,” Raul Flores Jr, 55, the couple’s oldest son, told the Washington Post.

A photo of victims Adolfo Hernandez and Sari Regalado adorn a makeshift memorial for victims at the Cielo Vista Mall Walmart in El Paso, Texas. Photograph: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

Adolfo Cerros Hernández, 68, and Sarita Regalado, 66

Based in Ciudad Juárez, Adolfo Cerros Hernández and Sara Esther Regalado crossed the border to go Walmart on that tragic Saturday. Hernández’s sister, Sonia Cerros, told the Wall Street Journal the couple had three daughters and four grandchildren, the youngest being a three-year-old boy.

Sandra Ivonne Cerros, the couple’s daughter, wrote about her grief on social media. “I don’t know how long it will take for my heart to heal. Their passing has left us with a great void. I am infinitely grateful to life for the joy it gave me to be their daughter.”

Alexander Gerhard Hoffman, 66

Alexander Gerhard Hoffman was a German citizen, the German embassy confirmed to multiple news outlets. The embassy has declined to provide any further details about Hoffman, citing privacy protection.

David Johnson, 63

David Johnson’s family says he died a hero. Johnson was with his wife, Kathy, and his nine-year-old granddaughter, Kaitlyn, during the attack. When the gunman started firing toward them, he pushed his wife and granddaughter down, covering them. The gunman was 2ft away. Kathy and Kaitlyn survived, but Johnson did not.

Krystal Alvord, Johnson’s daughter, told CNN she wasn’t surprised her father protected his wife and granddaughter. “He is that kind of man, 100%. He’s been around guns his whole life, he used to hunt, I believe, so he knows what to do. Him saving my niece and my mom, that is him.”

Luis Alfonzo Juárez, 90

The oldest victim of the shooting, Luis Alfonzo Juárez “lived the American dream” his family said in a statement. His family said Juárez moved to the US from Mexico and eventually became an American citizen. He and his wife, who was shopping with him but survived the attack, had seven children.

“When people mistreated him, he always understood and felt that everyone is going through something so we need to be nice to each,” his family said. “He was fascinated to learn about other cultures, and was curious before he was every angry.”

María Eugenia Legarreta Rothe, 58

María Eugenia Legarreta Rothe, of Chihuahua, Mexico, stopped by Walmart on the way to the El Paso airport to pick up her 16-year-old daughter, who was in Europe. A family friend told the Washington Post that she was a homemaker focused on raising her four children.

“She never stopped smiling. She was a wonderful woman, very dedicated to her children, and a wonderful cook,” the friend said.

Muy triste por la noticia que Ivan Manzano, un querido amigo mío fue una de las victimas en la tragedia de El Paso, Texas. 😔

A su familia que Dios les de consuelo y fortaleza para salir adelante. 🙏🏼

Te Quiero amigo! #ElPasoStrong pic.twitter.com/A0hIENAbis — Sin Cara (@SinCaraWWE) August 6, 2019

Iván Manzano, 41

A devoted father and husband, Iván Manzano, of Ciudad Juárez, was on his way out of the store when he encountered the shooter, according to a close friend. He had a five-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son.

His wife, Adriana, told the Associated Press that Manzano was known to be friendly, calm and “very practical”. She said she told her children that their father was in an “accident”, fearing the resentment a full explanation might create.

Gloria Irma Márquez, 61

Gloria Irma Márquez was at Walmart to cash a check at the bank inside the store. John Ogaz, her partner of 11 years, was waiting for her at a nearby McDonald’s.

A mother of four children, two born in Mexico and two born in the US, Márquez is remembered for being a caring mother.

“The kids were everything to her,” Ogaz told the Washington Post. “She was very protective of the people she loved.”

Márquez was a healthcare assistant for elderly patients. Originally from Mexico, Márquez had lived in the El Paso area for 25 years, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Elsa Mendoza, 57

Elsa Mendoza, of Ciudad Juárez, was making a quick stop into Walmart, her husband and son waiting in the car, while she was on her way to the airport. Mendoza was planning to visit her daughter, who just graduated from the University of Denver, in Colorado, according to NPR.

Mendoza was the principal of an elementary school in Juárez and a survivor of breast cancer. Adrian Valverde, a relative of Mendoza’s, said she and her husband, Antonio, were married for 33 years.

“They were very much in love, very romantic. They loved to travel together,” Valverde said. “We’re still in disbelief.”

Margie Reckard, 63

Baltimore native Margie Reckard left behind two sons and two daughters, along with her husband of 22 years, Antonio Basco.

“When I met her, she was an angel and she still is,” Basco told KFOX 14. “You could just look at how she was, how she acted, how she presented herself. She was an awesome lady.”

A photo of Javier Rodríguez, second left, 15, and friends adorn a makeshift memorial for victims of the Cielo Vista Mall Walmart shooting in El Paso, Texas. Photograph: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

Javier Amir Rodríguez, 15

Acting on a promise to take him to get a haircut and get him school supplies, Octavio Lizarde, 23, took his 15-year-old nephew, Javier Amir Rodríguez, to Walmart.

When Lizarde heard the shots, he tried to hide himself and his nephew, he told BuzzFeed News. The gunman went over the counter and shot Rodriguez dead. Lizarde is still recovering from getting shot in the foot.

Lizarde said Rodríguez was like a little brother to him. They liked to play video games “sometimes all day”, he said.

Teresa Sánchez, 82

Teresa Sánchez was visiting from Mexico during the attack. She has been identified by authorities as a Mexican national.

Juan Velázquez, 77

Juan Velázquez had just parked at Walmart with his wife, Estela Nicolasa, when he was approached by the gunman. Velázquez tried to shield his wife, but both were ultimately injured after the bullets passed through him and hit his wife.

Nicolasa called her daughter after being shot, crying and telling her she was in pain.

“We all just panicked, we were scared, we were crying, we didn’t know what to do,” Daisy Fuentes, the couple’s granddaughter, told local news station KTSM.

A father of six and a grandfather of 15 grandchildren, Velázquez had moved from Ciudad Juárez to El Paso six months ago with his wife.