Last Saturday's shootings at an El Paso Walmart will not define the community, the city's Mayor Dee Margo said Wednesday morning, while President Donald Trump was on his way to his community to pay his respects.
"I know people will refer to this from a historical perspective, but it will not define us," Margo told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "We're a special community."
Trump has come under fire for his plans to visit the city, particularly from Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, and Democratic presidential primary candidate Beto O'Rourke, both of whom have strongly blamed his rhetoric for the shootings that left 22 people dead, but Margo said he believes "it's incumbent upon him to be here."
Margo said he welcomes the visit because he is fulfilling his duties as mayor by meeting with the president.
"He holds the office of the president of the United States, and we will need help in order to meet the needs of this community from a healing standpoint, as well as probably financial resources to support us for what we've been undergoing," Margo said.
Meanwhile, he said the accused shooter, Patrick Crusius, has been "very cooperative" with police and "telling them everything."
"His manifesto is a real indictment, to begin with, of hate crimes and white supremacy," said Margo, adding Texas will seek capital murder charges that could result in execution if Crusius is convicted.
"I want to see him prosecuted to the fullest extent," Margo said.
He added he has been trying to avoid politicizing any part of the shootings, as he does not think that is proper for the families, and "it's not reflective of our community."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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