On Saturday, a shooter took to the busy shopping area of Cielo Vista Mall in the Texas border town of El Paso, entered the Walmart and shot 20 people dead. Twenty-six have also been reported injured. In the wake of these tragic events, the local police department has asked for blood donations, and the community immediately responded.
Blood needed urgently. Multiple injured transported to various hospitals. Blood donation centers Vitalent Blood Ser… https://t.co/dYvfGGLSLv— EL PASO POLICE DEPT (@EL PASO POLICE DEPT) 1564865078.0
The hashtag #ElPasoStrong is currently trending on Twitter, with people posting footage of the long line of members of the El Paso community — hundreds of citizens — coming together, and lining up patiently in the extremely hot weather to donate blood for the victims.
LOOK: This is the line of *HUNDREDS of people outside of Vitalant in West El Paso waiting to donate blood following… https://t.co/t32qH5iON5— Sandra Ramirez (@Sandra Ramirez) 1564867408.0
This is what El Paso is all about. Hundreds of people already lined up in 100 degree weather to donate blood. I lov… https://t.co/OAEgyoxEDU— Devon Gray (@Devon Gray) 1564870327.0
Wow look at this.. #ElPaso #ElPasoStrong pic.twitter.com/BuBvmHmLtK
— Karly Rae Porras (@_karly_rae) August 3, 2019
Blood donation lines around the building in El Paso. I love this city. #ElPasoStrong #ElPasoShooting https://t.co/1PYJ4o6Mgr— Carolyn Payne (@Carolyn Payne) 1564868330.0
As the city scrambles to help the victims of these horrific events, the police also currently have a suspect in custody. Two law enforcement officials spoke to The Associated Press, on condition of anonymity, and identified the supposed shooter as 21-year-old Patrick Crusius from the Dallas area.
To read about how you can do your part in helping those affected by the shooting — either financially or with blood donations — click here.
Image via Getty
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