Patrick Crusius, the 21-year-old alleged gunman in the recent mass killings in El Paso, Texas, is reported to be under suicide watch at the El Paso County Detention Facility, where he awaits trial for capital murder charges.

According to El Paso Sheriff spokesperson Leslie Antunez, Crusius was placed under watch at the advisement of medical staff. He is being monitored by jail staff every 30 minutes, according to spokeswoman Chris Acosta, speaking to CNN.

The El Paso mass shooting left 22 people dead and over a dozen injured. Authorities said that he surrendered himself to police and later admitted that he was targeting Mexicans.

Since his arrest, according to those close to his case, Crusius has been distant and unresponsive to officials attempting to interact with him. Furthermore, he is said to have shown no remorse for his actions.

Crusius’ racist, anti-immigrant motivations were espoused in a four-page manifesto posted to the controversial internet message board 8chan prior to the shooting.

In the manifesto, he expresses strongly anti-Latino beliefs, demands immigrants return to their home countries and advocates white supremacy. El Paso, a border town on the far west edge of the Texas-Mexico border, has a high number of Latino residents.

Tears at El Paso
Members of the Medina family react beside a makeshift memorial outside the Cielo Vista Mall Wal-Mart (background) where a shooting left 20 people dead in El Paso, Texas, on August 3, 2019. MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
RELATED STORIES
Mexico