El Paso, August 3 (RHC)-- At least 20 people have been killed and 26 more injured after a shooter rampaged a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, Saturday morning.  Police report that a 21-year-old white suspect has been taken into custody.  Identified as Patrick Crusius, he reportedly left behind a manifesto in which he hatefully denounces Latinos, complaining that they are taking jobs away from white people, and includes a reference to the recent Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand, which left 51 people dead.

At 10 a.m. Saturday, an armed man, dressed in glasses, khaki pants, a dark shirt and assault-style rifle arrived at a Wal-Mart store where families were busy buying back-to-school supplies.  According to two photos taken by security cameras and published by the El Paso television station KTSM, he appeared to be wearing either headphones or earplugs, Reuters said.  The area was on lockdown, although police said there was no threat to other locations or venues in the city.

“Multiple fatalities, and several people have been transported” to the University Medical Center following the shooting, El Paso spokesman Enrique Carillo said.  Hospital spokesman Ryan Mielke said the conditions of the patients ranged from deceased to minor injuries.  He could not immediately provide a figure on how many had died.

Gun violence has been on the rise in the U.S., especially school shootings.  According to data by the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, there were 94 cases of gun violence in schools in 2018, a record high since 1970.

In 2017, there were 39,773 gun deaths, another record high since 1968 according to data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.