Accused El Paso shooter pleads not guilty to murder charges

The man accused of killing 22 people at an El Paso Walmart says he’s not guilty.

21-year-old Patrick Crusius entered that plea Thursday in a Texas courtroom.

A grand jury indicted Crusius last month on multiple counts of capital murder in connection with the August 3 attack. The shooting left 22 people dead, and 25 injured.

Prosecutors say Crisius’s plea contradicts a confession he made to police after his arrest. An arrest warrant affidavit shows he surrendered to officers saying ” I’m the shooter. ” Documents also show he told investigators he planned the rampage then made the nearly 10-hour drive from his home in Allen, Texas to El Paso with the intention of targeting Mexicans.

The store is a popular shopping destination for Mexican tourists who cross into the U.S. from the neighboring city of Juarez.

The Department of Justice has called the shooting an act of domestic terrorism. It’s investigating adding hate crime charges.

KYMA 2019