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Walmart Shooting Suspect Charged With Federal Hate Crimes

Associated Press

   The man accused of killing 22 people and wounding two dozen more in a
   shooting that targeted Mexicans in the border city of El Paso, Texas,
   has been charged with federal hate crimes.

   Patrick Crusius, 21, has been charged with 90 counts under federal hate
   crime and firearms laws for his role in the Aug. 3 shooting that
   authorities said was aimed at scaring Hispanics into leaving the United
   States, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.

   Federal prosecutors were expected to announce the charges against
   Crusius of Allen, Texas, later Thursday at a news conference in El
   Paso. Crusius is facing the death penalty on a state capital murder
   charge. He pleaded not guilty last year.

   The shooting happened at a time when immigration officials were trying
   to manage a crush of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and there was
   political battle over their treatment. El Paso was the epicenter of the
   influx. President Donald Trump has made cracking down on immigration a
   hallmark of his administration and the polarizing topic makes headlines
   around the world.

   Eight Mexican nationals were among the victims. The Walmart store is
   popular with shoppers from nearby Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, just on the
   other side of the Rio Grande from El Paso.

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