By Jason Renard Walker

To the survivors and families of those killed in the Cielo Vista Walmart supercenter, located in El Paso Texas — August 3rd 2019 will always be a day to mourn and remember. To Patrick Wood Crusius, the obviously mentally ill lone nut gunman responsible for the mass shooting, this was a failed attempt to pledge his loyalty to the white supremacist social media platforms that radicalized him.

On this day Crusius drove hundreds of miles across Texas, entered the Walmart with his semi-automatic rifle and mercilessly opened fire on shoppers inside the store and out, killing twenty-three innocent people and injuring twenty-two others. The reason Crusius says he picked this particular Walmart is because it was a place where a large number of migrants would likely be concentrated, with the least amount of security to protect them.

Despite Crusius admitting that the victims’ race was the motivating factor behind the attack, he still managed to escape the death penalty and plead guilty for what he did, in exchange for multiple life sentences.

Crusius suggests that his white supremacist beliefs aren’t politically motivated, but reenforced by the failed promise Donald Trump made to build a wall across the US/Mexico border at Mexico’s expense and prevent migrants from entering Texas. Crusius says he felt it was his duty to show them nobody wants them here. “If they won’t pay for the wall, they’ll pay for their own graveyard,” he expressed.

Recently Crusius was shipped to the Powledge Unit and placed in a cell right by me. He started off by asking questions about the kind of food served and if getting extra was an option. I wasn’t aware of why he was sent to prison until he identified himself as the Walmart shooter. One of the first things he mentioned was that though the shooting was a failed mission, he believes he is an inspiration to others. “I mean twenty-three peach pickers a good number, can’t really beat that. I told myself at least thirty because that was the goal and I failed,” he explained through a mentally unstable voice.

Not long after guards heard him talking reckless, they gathered up everything in his cell and another one was ordered to watch him, 24 hours a day, under the premise of him being a threat to himself. Similar to how the FLDS doomsday profit, Warren Jeffs is treated here whenever he broadcasts an end of times prophecy.

By listening to what Crusius had to say in regard to his views, why he committed such a heinous act and why he felt he wasn’t sentenced to death, I concluded he has some conscious understanding on how the American government places value on some people’s lives over others, primarily based on race, social status and financial stability. Then used this half-baked understanding to violently express racial resentment towards soft targets and low hanging fruit that Trump convinced him are imminent threats.

While Crusius has his entire life to think about what he did, he doesn’t have the mental capacity to know the difference between impractical white supremacist views, Trump’s lies, and the reality of his wrong doing. Scholars and journalists may think or try to pretend they understand or know why a lone nut goes on these crash course missions. But they will never understand half of what makes these individuals tick until they’ve had the chance to speak to or engage them as a human in their environment. Not some pop-up reporter looking for a story to get paid off of.

 Jason Renard Walker#1532092

 Powledge unit

PO Box 660400

Dallas, Tx 75266

Jason Renard Walker is a prison journalist that has published articles and essays in various print and online media outlets since 2016. His work can be viewed at: www.jasonsprisonjournal.com You can also purchase his paperbook book: ‘Reports From Within The Belly Of The Beast’ on amazon.com