El Paso Shooting: Mexico Exploring Legal Action Against US Over Citizen Deaths, Injuries

The Mexican government is considering taking legal action against the U.S. following the mass [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

The Mexican government is considering taking legal action against the U.S. following the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. At least seven Mexican citizens were killed and 26 others injured Sunday at a Walmart next to the Cielo Vista Mall. Mexico's Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Marcel Ebrard, called the shooting an act of terrorism against Mexicans.

Ebrard said the Mexican government will explore trying to extradite the shooter to face charges there if there is enough evidence, reports CNN. Ebrand also shared a video on Twitter, calling the shooting "unacceptable" and "the first judicial actions" the government takes will follow international law.

"Mexico would like to express its utmost profound condemnation and rejection of this barbaric act where innocent Mexican men and women were killed," Ebrard said in the video. "We are outraged. We do not support the culture of hate."

Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador told Ebrand to take quick action to protect families hurt "so that Mexico can demand that the United States protect the Mexican community in the United States."

Ebrard said the U.S. should take a "strong position against hate crimes" and said gun control is a "crucial issue."

On Monday morning, two days after the shooting, El Paso Police confirmed the death toll rose to 22. In total, 24 others were injured.

Police have identified the suspect as a 21-year-old white male. According to media reports, the suspect's name is Patrick Crusius of Allen, a suburb north of Dallas. He is being held on a charge of capital murder and federal authorities are investigating the incident as "domestic terrorism."

Hours after the shooting in Texas, another man opened fire in downtown Dayton, Ohio. Nine people were killed there and at least two dozen others injured. The gunman, Connor Betts, was killed by responding police. His sister was among the victims.

During a speech from the White House Monday morning, President Donald Trump called the shootings "an assault upon our communities, an attack upon our nation and a crime against all of humanity."

"In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy. These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America," Trump said. "Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart and devours the soul."

Trump's speech notably did not call for stricter gun control measures, but instead focused on mental illness, calling for a reform of "mental health laws." He said the Justice Department should "propose legislation ensuring that those who commit hate crimes and mass murders face the death penalty and that this capital punishment be delivered quickly, decisively and without years of needless delay."

On Twitter Monday, Trump suggested gun control measures be tied to "desperately needed immigration reform."

Photo credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

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