A gunman armed with an assault rifle killed 20 people Saturday when he opened fire on shoppers at a packed Walmart store in the latest mass shooting in the United States.
Police said that Walmart was "at capacity" at the time of the shooting, with 1,000-3,000 customers inside.
It was the second fatal shooting in less than a week at a Walmart store in the US and comes after a mass shooting in California last weekend.
After officials initially said three people had been detained, police confirmed that a 21-year-old, white male, Patrick Crusius was the only person in custody.
US President Donald Trump has condemned the attack saying that there are "no reasons or excuses that will ever justify the killing of innocent people."
Advertisement
Witnesses said the gunman wore a black t-shirt, combat trousers and ear muffs and he shot at random without any specific targets.
"He was just shooting randomly. It wasn't to any particular person. It was any that would cross paths," an eyewitness said.
As per initial reports, the act is suspected to be a "hate crime".
"Right now we have a manifesto from this individual that indicates to some degree, it has a nexus to potential hate crime," police officials said.
The "manifesto" purportedly written by Crusius that was circulated online includes passages railing against the "Hispanic invasion" of Texas and the author makes clear that he expected to be killed during his attack.
Advertisement
Walmart also expressed its sympathies with the victims of the tragic attack.
Footage shot on camera phones appeared to show multiple bodies lying on the ground in the store's parking lot while El Paso authorities made a desperate appeal for blood donations.
Other footage showed terrified shoppers running out of the store as gunfire echoed.
"Twenty innocent people from El Paso have lost their lives," Texas Governor Greg Abbott told a press conference.
"We as a state unite in support of these victims and their family members... We pray that God can be with those who have been harmed in any way and bind up their wounds."
One woman, who gave her name as Vanessa, said she had just pulled into the Walmart parking lot when the shooting began.
"You could hear the pops, one right after another and at that point, as I was turning, I saw a lady, seemed she was coming out of Walmart, headed to her car. She had her groceries in her cart and I saw her just fall," she told Fox News.
It has been a particularly bad week for gun violence in the United States.
Two people died and a police officer was wounded Tuesday at a Walmart in Mississippi.
Advertisement
Last Sunday a 19-year-old gunman opened fire at a food festival in northern California, killing three, including two children.
(AFP)
