Patrick Crusius, who stands accused of shooting 20 people to death at an El Paso Walmart, had a presence on social media, including a Twitter page in which he indicated support for President Donald Trump by liking his tweets and those from people praising the president.
Crusius, 21, is from the Dallas/Fort Worth area and was taken into police custody after the mass shooting. Officials confirmed that they are also investigating a manifesto, but they haven’t said definitively whether it belonged to Crusius. Authorities told ABC News that Crusius told them he wanted to kill as many Mexicans as possible.
Crusius liked a tweet in which a page using the name “John Doe” praised Trump, and spelled out the president’s name with firearms (while liking another post trashing Bernie Sanders):
He also liked posts by the president in which Trump called the media “fake news.”
Crusius also had a LinkedIn page in which he wrote, “I’m not really motivated to do anything more than what’s necessary to get by. Working in general sucks, but I guess a career in Software Development suits me well. I spend about 8 hours every day on the computer so that counts as technology experience I guess. Pretty much gonna see what technology careers present themselves; go with the wind.”
On LinkedIn, Crusius blamed a “lack of freedom” for why he wasn’t involved in extracurricular activities. As for Facebook, he had a profile image but no recent posts, and he only had three visible friends.
Jordan Anchondo, a mother of three credited with saving the life of her infant son, was named as the first deceased victim in the horrific Walmart shooting in El Paso, Texas, that also wounded another 26 people. Her sister, Leta Jamrowski, confirmed to the Associated Press that Anchondo, 25, had died in the horrific attack. She was shopping for back-to school supplies, according to AP.
A picture is emerging of the 21-year-old suspect’s politics from his social media posts.
Here’s what you need to know:
Patrick Crusius’s Twitter Page Contains Pro Trump Rhetoric
On Twitter, Patrick Crusius’s page was called @outsider609. He had a meager number of followers, and had joined Twitter in 2016.
TwitterPatrick Crusius
He retweeted posts about President Donald Trump, including this one from 2016:
He advocated for the president’s border wall and used the term “nasty woman,” which Trump once called Hillary Clinton.
In one Twitter post, he used the word “cuck,” which is a term used on the alt right to refer to conservatives with liberal views or who are perceived as weak.
His Twitter posts were sometimes nonsensical. “Chickens are tasty, and no one gives a f-ck about chicken feelings. I mean do chickens even have feelings?????” he wrote. He retweeted a photo of Trump in the Oval Office. He exhibited homophobia, writing in 2017, “what are you f-cking gay or something?”
He followed President Trump’s Twitter page.
Crusius’s page liked tweets by Trump, including on John Glenn and China. He liked a post by a person who defended Trump, saying he hadn’t really mocked a disabled reporter. One Trump tweet he liked read, “The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall (for sake of Speed) will be paid back by Mexico later!” He also liked a tweet captioned, “Trump Era begins!”
He also liked posts by Trump on Obamacare.
“Ugh you hipsters don’t realize that it is God’s will for humans to do whatever they please with animals. Foolish people say otherwise!!!!!” he tweeted at a site called Mercy for Animals in 2017. He retweeted a thank you to talk show host Bill O’Reilly. Crusius followed pages like the Texas Rangers, Dallas Cowboys and Mark Cuban.
The manifesto under investigation contains anti immigrant rants and says: “Even if other non-immigrant targets would have a greater impact, I can’t bring myself to kill my fellow Americans.” The manifesto writer said he supported the Christchurch shooting and “Great Replacement” anti-immigration theory postured there but claims Trump shouldn’t be blamed because his anti-immigrant beliefs predated the president.
“My ideology has not changed for several years,” the manifesto, which you can read more about here, says. My opinions on automation, immigration, and the rest predate Trump and his campaign for president. I putting this here because some people will blame the President or certain presidential candidates for the attack. This is not the case. I know that the media will probably call me a white supremacist anyway and blame Trump’s rhetoric. The media is infamous for fake news. Their reaction to this attack will likely just confirm that.”
“We as a state unite in support of the victims and their family members,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news conference. “We want to do all we can to assist them.” An infant is among the dead.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that three of the deceased victims are Mexican citizens, and six of the wounded are Mexican citizens. Three of those wounded were named by Mexican officials as 45-year-old Mario de Alba Montes, 44-year-old Olivia Mariscal Rodríguez and 10-year-old Erika de Alba Mariscal. “I regret the events in El Paso, Texas, neighboring town and brother of Ciudad Juarez and our nation,” he said on Twitter. “I send my condolences to the families of the victims, both American and Mexican.”
The governor called the shooting “one of the most deadly days in the history of Texas” and added that “Twenty innocent people from El Paso have lost their lives.” The FBI is involved in the investigation.
“We’re in shock over the tragic events at Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, where store 2201 & club 6502 are located. 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,” Walmart wrote on Twitter.
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