At least 15 people were killed after a gunman opened fire at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas Saturday morning, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
The same official identified the suspected gunman as 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, a native of the Dallas area, and stressed that the death toll was preliminary and the investigation is ongoing. It was unclear what connection the suspect had to El Paso.
El Paso Police Sgt. Robert Gomez said at an earlier news conference that the suspect was taken into custody without incident and no law enforcement fired their weapons. The Walmart was near capacity at the time of the shooting, with as many as 3,000 people inside along with 100 employees during the busy back-to-school shopping season.
"This is unprecedented in El Paso," said Gomez, who added that many of the injured had life-threatening injuries.
Ryan Mielke, a spokesman for University Medical Center of El Paso, told Fox News that 13 patients -- 1 of whom died at the hospital -- were being treated at the facility's Level 1 trauma center. Mielke told the Associated Press that two children, ages 2 and 9, were stabilized at the medical center before being transferred to the neighboring El Paso Children's Hospital.
Del Sol Medical Center told Fox News it has received 11 patients, 9 of whom were critical but stable condition and 2 who were in stable condition. The patients' ages ranged from 35 to 82, the hospital said. El Paso police tweeted that blood donations were "needed urgently" to aid the injured.
Police responded to reports of an active shooting in the area of the Cielo Vista Mall shortly before 11 a.m. and asked people to stay away from the area and to look for missing family members at a school being used as a reunification area. El Paso Police Sgt. Enrique Carrillo told reporters shortly before 1 p.m. that one person was in custody and there was no longer an "imminent threat" to the area.
Vanessa Saenz, a witness, told Fox News that she heard several "pops" near the area and saw a man in a black shirt and cargo pants with a weapon shooting outside the building before entering the Walmart.
"He was just pointing at people and just shooting," she added. Another witness told Fox News that his mother died at the scene.
Saturday’s shooting comes just four days after a gunman opened fire at a Walmart in Northern Mississippi, leaving two dead and a police officer injured. In response to the latest shooting, Walmart tweeted: "We're in shock over the tragic events at Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso ... 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.
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