El Paso Walmart shooting sentencing phase ends; here's how city leaders responded

El Paso Times
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Patrick Crusius, the admitted white supremacist who fatally shot 23 people at an El Paso Walmart, was sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences.

The life sentences, which will be served consecutively, were handed down by Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Guaderrama on Friday, July 7.

The sentencing means the gunman will spend the rest of his life in federal prison. The life sentences were the maximum the gunman could receive in federal court since the U.S. Attorney's Office decided not to seek the death penalty.

The gunman was provided the opportunity to speak in court on the first day of the hearing but declined.

Here's what El Paso leaders had to say about the life sentences:

Patrick Crusius, 24, was sentenced Friday morning to life in prison on each of 90 federal charges he pleaded guilty to earlier this year in connection with the Aug. 3, 2019, mass shooting that killed 23 people and injured dozens more at an East El Paso Walmart.
Patrick Crusius, 24, was sentenced Friday morning to life in prison on each of 90 federal charges he pleaded guilty to earlier this year in connection with the Aug. 3, 2019, mass shooting that killed 23 people and injured dozens more at an East El Paso Walmart.

Beto O'Rourke

Former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who competed for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, grew close to some victims' families.

"In addition to this sentence, true justice would address the guilt of those who stoked fears of 'invasion,' told Texans to 'take matters into their own hands,' spread replacement theory, and made it too easy to buy a weapon of war used to kill 23 people in a matter of minutes," O'Rourke wrote on Twitter in the wake of the sentencing.

Former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke visits the memorial for the victims of the mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart on Aug. 7, 2019.
Former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke visits the memorial for the victims of the mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart on Aug. 7, 2019.

Veronica Escobar

"No sentence can bring back the 23 innocent souls we lost on August 3, 2019 or take away the profound pain the survivors and their loved ones live with every day," U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, said on Twitter.

"The hatred that is white supremacy and the easy access to assault weapons fueled a tragedy that many El Pasoans still live with and we must continue to work for change.

"But today, I hope the victims and our community achieve a significant step toward justice."

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, places flowers at Ponder Park on the one-year anniversary of the Walmart mass shooting Aug. 3, 2020, in El Paso. A gunman opened fire at an East El Paso Walmart, killing 23 and injuring at least two dozen others Aug. 3, 2019.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, places flowers at Ponder Park on the one-year anniversary of the Walmart mass shooting Aug. 3, 2020, in El Paso. A gunman opened fire at an East El Paso Walmart, killing 23 and injuring at least two dozen others Aug. 3, 2019.

César Blanco

State Sen. César Blanco, D-El Paso, said he hopes the sentencing "provides some closure and healing for the victims' families."

"Today, and every day, we remember the lives that were tragically cut short and hold their memories close to us," he said.

Laramie Stroud, left, and state Rep. César Blanco, D-El Paso, listen to testimony from survivors of the Aug. 3, 2019, mass shooting at Walmart during the Texas House Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety on Jan. 9, 2020, at the University of Texas at El Paso campus.
Laramie Stroud, left, and state Rep. César Blanco, D-El Paso, listen to testimony from survivors of the Aug. 3, 2019, mass shooting at Walmart during the Texas House Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety on Jan. 9, 2020, at the University of Texas at El Paso campus.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Walmart shooting sentence: City leaders respond to life imprisonment