EL PASO, Texas — A federal grand jury in El Paso on Thursday returned a superseding indictment against the suspect in the 2019 shooting at an El Paso Walmart that killed 23 people and injured 23 others.
Patrick Wood Crusius, 21, has been indicted with a new hate crime and firearm charges stemming from the death of a hospitalized shooting victim.
The grand jury on Feb. 6 indicted Crusius for the Aug. 3, 2019 shooting. On April 25, one of the shooting victims died from his injuries.
The federal grand jury’s superseding indictment includes 23 counts of hate crimes resulting in death, 23 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder during and in relation to a crime of violence, 22 counts of hates crimes involving an attempt to kill and 22 counts of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The superseding indictment alleges that in June 2019, Crusius purchased a GP WASR-10 semi-automatic rifle and 1,000 rounds of hollow point ammunition on the internet. Authorities said he allegedly, after planning and premeditation, took the weapon and ammunition from his home in Allen, Texas, to the Walmart on Gateway West Boulevard in El Paso where he shot his victims.
The superseding indictment also alleges Crusius uploaded online a document he drafted titled, “The Inconvenient Truth,” which opened by stating, “This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas. They are the instigators, not me. I am simply defending my country from cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by the invasion.”
The superseding indictment also charges Crusius with willfully causing bodily injury to the victims because of the actual and perceived national origin of any person.
The charges in this indictment carry a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment. The Attorney General will decide whether to seek the death penalty at a later date.