Walmart will reopen El Paso store, include memorial for victims of mass shooting

The Walmart in El Paso, Texas, where 22 people were killed and dozens were wounded in a mass shooting earlier this month, will reopen in a few months and will have a memorial honoring the massacre’s victims, according to The Associated Press.

After the entire inside of the building is rebuilt, an added on-site memorial will emphasize the “binational relationship between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez,” a Mexican city located near the border between the two countries, Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove said, the AP reported.

“Our goal is to establish a memorial that honors the victims, recognizes the binational relationship between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, and celebrates the strength of the El Paso community,” Hargrove said, according to CNN.

Many of the shooting victims were Latino, and the gunman has since confessed and reportedly said he was targeting “Mexicans.”{mosads}

The project, which is still in the early planning phase, is expected to take three to four months to complete, according to the AP.

In the meantime, more than 90 percent of the store’s nearly 400 employees are working at other nearby locations of the major retail chain, the outlet reports.

“Nothing will erase the pain of Aug. 3, and we are hopeful that reopening the store will be another testament to the strength and resiliency that has characterized the El Paso community in the wake of this tragedy,” Hargrove reportedly said.