Republicans already exploiting the dead to promote more guns, almost before their bodies have cooled. They'd probably rather not talk about the guy's likely motive...Twenty people have been killed and 26 injured in a mass shooting in the Texas city of El Paso.
Governor Greg Abbott described it as "one of the most deadly days in the history of Texas".
The massacre happened at a Walmart store near the Cielo Vista Mall, a few miles from the US-Mexican border.
A 21-year-old man is in custody and is believed to be the sole gunman. Mr Abbott praised the police officers who apprehended him.
The suspect has been named by US media as Patrick Crusius, a resident of Dallas-area city of Allen, about 650 miles (1,046km) east of El Paso.
CCTV images said to be of the gunman and broadcast on US media show a man in a dark T-shirt wearing ear protectors and brandishing an assault-style rifle.
CCTV images said to be of the gunman have emerged
"We as a state unite in support of these victims and their family members," Mr Abbott said.
"We must do one thing today, one thing tomorrow and each and every day after this - we must unite."
The police and FBI are investigating whether an anonymous white nationalist "manifesto", shared on an online forum, was written by the gunman. The document says the attack was targeted at the local Hispanic community.
What happened?
El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen said reports of an active shooter were received at 10:39 local time (16:39 GMT), and law enforcement officers were on the scene within six minutes.
The Walmart was full of shoppers buying back-to-school supplies at the time of the attack.
The 21-year-old is the only suspect in custody over the attack, and police say no officers fired their weapons while arresting him.
Mr Allen said the ages of victims were "numerous" as he described the situation as "horrific".
El Paso Police Department had earlier tweeted that blood donations were "needed urgently".
Skip Twitter post by @EPPOLICE
Blood needed urgently. Multiple injured transported to various hospitals. Blood donation centers Vitalent Blood Services at 424 s Mesa Hills and 133 N Zaragoza
— EL PASO POLICE DEPT (@EPPOLICE) August 3, 2019
Report
End of Twitter post by @EPPOLICE
Kianna Long said she was at the Walmart with her husband when they heard gunfire.
"People were panicking and running, saying that there was a shooter," Ms Long told Reuters news agency. "They were running close to the floor, people were dropping on the floor."
Ms Long said she and her husband ran through a stock room before taking cover with other customers.
Kianna Long, right, spoke of the panic in Walmart
Another witness, Glendon Oakly, told CNN that he was in a sporting goods store inside the nearby shopping mall when a child ran inside "telling us there's an active shooter at Walmart".
Mr Oakly said no-one took the child's claim seriously, but just minutes later he heard two gunshots.
"I just thought about getting the kids out of the way," he said.
Image copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
Shocked shoppers were ushered out of the area with their hands raised
What has been the wider reaction?
The latest mass shooting in the United States has led to an outpouring of sympathy, but also led to fresh calls for gun control.
US President Donald Trump - a gun rights advocate - remained neutral, saying on Twitter that the reports coming from the area were "very bad, many killed".
Walmart tweeted that it was "in shock over the tragic events" and was "working closely with law enforcement".
Skip Twitter post by @Walmart
We're in shock over the tragic events at Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, where store 2201 & club 6502 are located. We’re praying for the victims, the community & our associates, as well as the first responders. We’re working closely with law enforcement & will update as appropriate.
— Walmart (@Walmart) August 3, 2019
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End of Twitter post by @Walmart
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke has abandoned a campaign event in Las Vegas to return to his home town.
Earlier, he spoke at a labour forum, telling the crowd the shooting shattered any illusion that gun reform will "come of its own accord" in the US.
"We know that there's a lot of injury, a lot of suffering in El Paso right now," he said.
Other Democratic presidential candidates also responded to the shooting with calls for gun control.
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker was among them, saying the US seems to be "accepting the idea that these [shootings] are going to be a regular occurrence".
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, however, said gun control would probably not have stopped the attack.
He added that if a "crazy" gunman launched such an attack, there was no way that law enforcement officers could be there to stop it.
"The best way is to be prepared to defend yourself," he told CBS News.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2 ... e-firearms
Increasingly, it seems, the mass shooting epidemic is looking less like the stereotypical random violence by lone nutjobs, and more like an informal insurgency by white supremacists.As usual, facts and truth are elusive in the hours after a mass shooting. Early reports on the murderous rampage at an El Paso shopping mall put the death toll at at least 20, with more people hospitalized with grave injuries. Chillingly, but not surprisingly, police were investigating whether anti-immigrant statements posted online were written by the alleged gunman, and whether such details provide a path to understanding this latest mass atrocity.
We must first pause at the weapon. Some sort of rifle, witnesses say. It wouldn’t be a sucker’s bet to wager that it was a semi-automatic combat style firearm, which seems to be the weapon style of choice. This is umpteenth example of why such firearms do not belong in the hands of civilians. They are designed to kill as many people as possible in a short period of time and once again that truism has proven itself out in the bloody slaughter of people doing their Saturday shopping. Is there any outrage left in the depleted well to draw on here? Or do we just wait for the gun enthusiasts to shake their heads, offer thoughts and prayers, and mumble some platitudes about access to mental health as the political system continues its stasis on the vital issue of gun violence and the threat to the lives of everyday Americans — every day
But moving on. All too often these attacks are perpetrated by assailants who are either directly motivated by racial hatred, or informed by it. The gunman who killed three people in Gilroy just last week had urged people to read a 19th century novel that is a cult favorite among white supremacists. Last year an armed man in Kentucky who failed to gain access to a black church walked into a supermarket and shot two black customers dead, while sparing a white one because, he allegedly said, “whites don’t shoot whites.” Dylann Roof murdered nine people in a South Carolina church four years to foment a race war, and let one black worshipper live so she could tell the story.
And on it goes.
The shooter may or may not turn out to have been ”mentally ill.” But unquestionably, r acism, an ideology of white supremacy, and our gun culture are central to what’s happening around the country. We’re living in a society that teaches school children what to do when the “active shooter” comes, and that has incorporated that inane bit of police jargon into everyday life. Can we get some inactive shooters for a change?
Apparently not. So once again people engaged in the everyday aspects of American life — this time, shopping; last week, attending a garlic festival — are murdered where they stand in acts at once random and predictable. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 250 mass shootings — defined as at least four gunshot victims in a single incident — since January 1. Today, we note, is the 215th day of the year. So more than one mass shooting incident each day this year, a pace somewhat ahead of recent years.
Yet this passes for normal. Because as a nation we accept it.
This one is also going to immediately be drawn into the Presidential campaign, as Beto O'Rourke is from El Paso, and as noted above has canceled a campaign event to return to the city.
