Yesterday was a dark day for America. Not one, but two mass shootings happened within hours of each other, tragically taking the lives of at least 30 people. The first shooting happened in El Paso, TX near a shopping center .
The shooter, which we won’t name, was only twenty-one. He’s in police custody and according to multiple reports, circulated a white nationalist manifesto online before carrying out the horrendous act. Police are still working to identify if that document was created and posted by the shooter.
Beto O’Rourke, who is running for president and from Texas, is blaming President Trump for the shooting, calling him a racist and saying his comments “stoke racism in this country.”
O’Rourke continued, “It does not just offend our sensibilities; it fundamentally changes the character of this country and it leads to violence.”
Watch the interview clip below.
#BREAKING I just asked @BetoORourke if @realDonaldTrump is at all responsible for today’s mass shooting in #ElPaso He said yes and added that in his opinion, the President is indeed a racist. @abc7breaking @ABC pic.twitter.com/wA3iB3uLFN
— Michael Gordon KVIA ABC-7 (@MichaelGordonTV) August 4, 2019
The President condemned the shootings on Twitter, writing that the gunman was a coward.
Today’s shooting in El Paso, Texas, was not only tragic, it was an act of cowardice. I know that I stand with everyone in this Country to condemn today’s hateful act. There are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing innocent people….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 4, 2019