Two men have been arrested as suspects in a shooting that occurred on Wednesday evening at Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, Texas, resulting in the death of one person and injuries to three others.
According to Interim El Paso Police Chief Peter Pacillas, off-duty police officers working mall security arrived at the scene within three minutes of the shooting and took one suspect into custody without firing a gun. The victims, all men, were taken to nearby hospitals, with two in critical condition and one in fair condition.
The second suspect's apprehension was not discussed, and the names, ages, and descriptions of the victims and suspects were not immediately available. Pacillas stated that the public is no longer at risk.
During an earlier meeting with journalists, El Paso police Sgt. Robert Gomez reported that the investigation suggested the shooting took place "somewhere near the food court," but this had not been confirmed, and no information was available about a possible motive. Responding to the incident were the FBI, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, and the U.S. Border Patrol, with the FBI providing assistance in the investigation.
Jeffrey Downey, head of the FBI's El Paso Field Office, commended the off-duty officer who apprehended the first suspect, stating that they "deserve a lot of credit." The mall was expected to remain "locked down" until the completion of the initial investigation.
The shooting occurred one week following the guilty plea of Patrick Crusius, the 24-year-old gunman who carried out the 2019 mass shooting at a nearby Walmart, killing 23 people with a specific aim to target Hispanic people. Cielo Vista Mall is located across the street from the Walmart. Crusius was handed 90 life sentences, one for each count in the indictment, as part of his plea deal.