EL PASO, Texas — Two days after 20 people were shot and killed in a Walmart in El Paso when a gunman opened fire, hundreds of mourners braved triple-digit temperatures to honor the victims.
People gathered around an abundance of flower bouquets, balloons, signs, candles and homemade crosses with the victim’s names on them Monday, the same day when officials said two more victims died from their injuries.
"El Paso strong," "We are with you," "We love you" are among some of the sentiments on the signs.
The names of the 22 victims were announced Monday. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 90, and nearly one-third of the victims were Mexican nationals.
The suspect, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, is also believed to be the author of a racist, anti-immigrant manifesto posted on 8Chan, a website that has recently become a megaphone for violent extremists. He has since been charged with capital murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Despite the horrific tragedy brought upon El Paso, community members continued to emphasize the city's diversity as its strength.
"El Paso's a unique community. It's a blended community of people from Texas, from Mexico, from Juarez, from all over," community organizator Diana Barajas told 12 News.
"And we're unified, we're united as a family, as a community, as a country."
Texas state Sen. Cesar Blanco repeated a statement expressed by many whose communities have witnessed mass tragedies: "You never think it's going to happen in your community until it does, and it has here in El Paso."
Greg Zanis, a Chicago man, traveled all the way to El Paso with 20 homemade crosses that he built to honor the victims. The crosses were a major focal point for many of the mourners looking to express their grief.
"I'm not a church guy and I'm not a gun guy. It's right here, in our hearts," Zanis said.
"So when these gunmen decide—they start hating themselves, then they're hating other people. We've got to stop this and show our sons and daughters love."
Some who were at the vigil got to see presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, who also took some time to meet with people in the community on Monday.
O’Rourke, who is among the large field of Democratic candidates hoping to unseat President Donald Trump, said he sees the different ways that people in El Paso lean on one another for strength and recovery.
"These families are so focused on getting better and being there for one another," O'Rourke told 12 News.
"This community, the caregivers, the nurses, the custodians, everybody meeting everybody else with a smile, a hug, the warmth that you are so familiar with," he added.
"It is making me so proud of this community. It really is the answer to this intolerance, this hatred.
"Our ability to see our differences is our strength. That's who El Paso is."
