Gunman who killed 23 in racist shooting at El Paso Walmart agrees to pay $5M to victims, families

The gunman who opened fire and killed 23 people in a racist shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, in 2019 agreed Monday to pay more than $5 million to the victims and families.

Patrick Crusius was given 90 consecutive life sentences in July for the shooting that left 23 dead and another 23 injured. He laid out his intentions for the shooting in a 2,300-word manifesto that targeted “Mexicans” and “Hispanics,” saying that his attack would remove the “incentives” for more migrants to come to the United States.

Court documents show that an agreement was reached between Crusius and prosecutors and signed by U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama.

The Associated Press reported that there is no indication that Crusius, 25, has any significant assets, after once working at a movie theater.

At the time of the attack, Crusius was 21 and had dropped out of community college. Police said he drove more than 700 miles from his home near Dallas to target Hispanics with an AK-style rifle inside and outside the store.

He pleaded guilty in February to 90 federal charges, including hate crimes, after the death penalty was taken off the table. But now, Texas prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty in state court.

During the sentencing in July, the friends and family of 12 victims made statements, The Texas Tribune reported. Crusius’s attorney said at the time that his client’s “thinking is at odds with reality,” AP reported.

“Patrick acted with his broken brain cemented in delusions,” the attorney told the court at the time.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.