Suspected gunman in El Paso Walmart shooting pleads not guilty to attack that killed 22

Oct. 10, 2019, 9:58 PM MDT
By Phil Helsel
The Texas man accused of killing 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso, in an attack that authorities said targeted people of Mexican descent, pleaded not guilty in court Thursday.

Patrick Crusius, 21, entered the plea during a brief court appearance.

Court documents previously released say that he confessed to opening fire at the store on Aug. 3, that he told police "I'm the shooter" when he surrendered and that in an interview with detectives he "stated his target were 'Mexicans.'"

Crusius is charged with capital murder and is being held without bail.

In his brief appearance, Crusius, wearing a navy suit and white shirt, told the judge he was the defendant, looked over the indictment and indicated his full name was correct in the indictment. He waived the reading of the document and entered the plea of not guilty.

A law firm representing Crusius' family later released a statement on their behalf in which the relatives said they were aware of the not guilty plea, NBC affiliate KTSM of El Paso reported.

More:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/suspected-gunman-el-paso-walmart-shooting-pleads-not-guilty-attack-n1064876