Four years ago, a man shot dead 23 people in a racially motivated attack in El Paso, Texas. Now he has been sentenced to 90 life sentences. He could also face the death penalty.
The shooter who killed a racially motivated attack in the Texas border town of El Paso has been sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences four years after the crime. The 24-year-old could also face other penalties, including the death penalty, as he continues to face murder charges at the state level in Texas.
The perpetrator shot people of Hispanic background inside and outside of a Walmart store with an assault rifle. 20 people died at the scene, two more victims succumbed to their injuries in the following days. Another victim died several months later. More than two dozen people were injured and several others severely traumatized.
Racist hate speech on the internet
Federal prosecutors had charged the shooter with hate crimes and firearms violations. In January, he pleaded guilty to nearly 50 counts of hate crimes.
According to the police, the man drove more than 1100 kilometers from his home near Dallas to El Paso for his crime. Shortly before he began the massacre, he posted a racist pamphlet warning of an “invasion” of Latin Americans in Texas. He also expressed support for the Christchurch racist gunman who previously attacked two mosques in New Zealand, killing 51 people.