El Paso mass shooting: Shooter pleads not guilty to capital murder

gunman behind a shooting in Texas that killed 22 people pleed t guilty to capital murder during his arraignment on Thursday, prosecutor's office said. Patrick Crusius, 21, is accused of carrying out August 3 mass shooting at a Walmart in west Texas city of El Paso. He confessed to police upon his arrest and said he was targeting "Mexicans."

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Crusius ples t guilty

"Crusius pleed t guilty this afteron," El Paso district attorney's office said.

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"District Attorney Jaime Esparza will seek death penalty." hearing in El Paso County Courthouse was Crusius's first public appearance since his arrest. Texas prosecutors charged Crusius with capital murder in August, day after attack. US attorney for Western District of Texas, John Bash, n ded that case was being treated as an act of domestic terrorism. Crusius is believed to have driven nine hours from Allen, his hometown in rth Texas, to majority-Hispanic border city of El Paso.

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He can be seen on video from Walmart security cameras entering store with an assault rifle. Prior to carrying out attack, Crusius published a white supremacist manifesto online which expressed fears of a "Hispanic invasion" of Texas. Eight of people killed in ramp were Mexican nationals, and many of or victims were Americans of Hispanic origin. Donald Trump's critics have accused president of stoking white nationalist hatred in US with anti-immigrant rhetoric, including comments referring to Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists.

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