Murder In America — EP217: TEXAS: The El Paso Walmart Shooting (Pt. 1)

Hosts: Courtney Shannon & Colin Browen
Podcast: Murder In America
Date: September 26, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode, the first in a two-part series, examines the lead-up to the 2019 El Paso Walmart mass shooting—the deadliest attack against Hispanic Americans in US history. Courtney and Colin focus on the perpetrator, Patrick Wood Crusius: his upbringing, social isolation, radicalization, and the specific motivations for the attack. The narrative explores his family dynamics, psychological state, immersion in extremist online communities, and his planning leading up to the shooting. Listeners are warned of disturbing content but reminded that this part emphasizes the background rather than the details of the attack or its victims.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: America’s Familiar Walmart, Shattered

• The episode opens with a vivid contrast between the everyday normalcy of Walmart and the terror of August 3, 2019:
  • "The sound of distant chatter and the beep of the cash registers were replaced with screams and gunfire. The bright white floors had turned a deep red... people weren't just browsing the aisles for their weekly shopping trip. Instead, they were hiding among the merchandise and running for their lives." (Courtney, 01:52)
• The shooters' identity and motivations are introduced, setting the groundwork for a detailed profile.

2. Patrick Crusius’s Early Life & Family Troubles

• Family Background
  • Patrick grew up in an affluent Dallas suburb with his twin sister Emily, older brother Blake, and parents Brian (a counselor struggling with addiction) and Lori (a hospice nurse). (Colin, 04:43)
  • Despite a comfortable environment, Patrick always seemed different—socially withdrawn and awkward from a young age. (Courtney, 05:32)
• Developmental and Social Struggles
  • Emily outpaced Patrick in social and developmental milestones.
  • "He was labeled as the 'strange one'...he started having violent thoughts as a child." (Courtney, 05:32)
  • Examples include animal cruelty, hypersensitivity to sound, and self-diagnosis of autism (without clinical confirmation).

3. Family Instability and Mental Health Issues

• Parental Divorce & Dysfunction
  • Father’s addiction and parents’ deteriorating marriage led to estrangement, culminating in a 2011 divorce. (Colin, 06:40)
  • Patrick’s mother at one point left the children alone during Christmas out of frustration. (Courtney, 08:06)
• Isolation and Bullying
  • Patrick switched high schools due to his mother's job, became even more isolated, and was bullied—especially, he perceived, by Hispanic classmates (a point integral to his later radicalization). (Courtney, 08:06; 11:28)

4. Withdrawal and Obsession with the Internet

• Work and Academic Disengagement
  • He briefly held a job as a bag boy ("pretty good trade though..."), had no car or friends, and spent off-hours playing Halo and browsing the internet. (Courtney, 08:06)
  • College experience was similarly alienating; Patrick was unmotivated ("I'm not really motivated to do anything more than what's necessary. Working in general sucks..." — Patrick’s LinkedIn, read by Colin, 13:57).
  • Declining mental state noted especially by junior year, further accentuated by wearing trench coats and odd classroom behavior. (Courtney, 12:37)
• Retreat Into Online Extremism
  • Patrick began spending countless hours on 8chan, an anonymous forum infamous for hosting extremist and hate-filled content.
    • “He would absorb other people's ideas as well. His defense attorney...said, ‘He was there. His whole world was in his computer…’” (Colin, 16:28)
    • Exposure to racism, white supremacy, and anti-immigrant rhetoric amplified Patrick’s pre-existing grievances.

5. Inspiration from Other Mass Shooters

• The Christchurch Massacre Impact
  • Patrick became obsessed with the March 15, 2019, livestreamed mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, NZ.
    • “Brenton specifically targeted mosques because he was a white supremacist who hated Muslims…he posted a manifesto on the site 8chan.” (Courtney, 17:44)
  • Courtney and Colin share segments (“We are experiencing an invasion…millions of people pouring across our borders…replacing the white people who have failed to reproduce…”—19:17, Colin)
  • The shooter’s so-called “Great Replacement” manifesto had a direct influence: “Patrick Crusius would later say that after reading…the Great Replacement, he decided he was going to commit an attack of his own…” (Courtney, 19:41)
• Other Incidents
  • Another mass shooting that targeted Jewish worshippers in California, and its accompanying hate-filled manifesto, further invigorated Patrick’s racist ideology. (Colin, 20:10)

6. The Escalating Path Toward Violence

• Patrick’s Deteriorating Mental State
  • Stopped attending college, became jobless and even more isolated.
  • Sought therapy and googled about violent thoughts, but it made no appreciable impact. (Colin, 20:10)
• Gun Purchase & Family Concern
  • Purchased an AK-style rifle online; his mother was alarmed, reporting to police her suspicions of his instability: “She was so concerned, she actually called the Allen police department…[but] there was nothing they could do.” (Courtney, 22:12)
  • Grandparents and mother tried to intervene; father (ironically a counselor) encouraged gun ownership as a bonding experience, revealing tragic parental blind spots.

7. Manifesto and Attack Planning

• Patrick authored his own manifesto, “An Inconvenient Truth,” echoing the hateful language of previous attackers and outlining environmental, economic, and blatantly racist justifications.
  • Notable Excerpt (Colin, 26:17):
    • “This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas…My motives for this attack are not at all personal. Actually, the Hispanic community was not my target before I read the Great Replacement.”
  • “He talks about wanting to segregate all minorities into certain parts of the country and how he believes white people are going to be ‘ethnically replaced.’” (Courtney, 27:27)
  • Direct incitements and tactical “advice” to future attackers permeate his writings.

8. The Journey to El Paso

• Final Preparations
  • On August 2, 2019, Patrick loads his car with weapons and supplies and sets out for El Paso, a nine-hour drive. (Courtney, 32:09; Colin, 33:02)
  • Chose El Paso for its large Hispanic and immigrant population, believing it a “perfect place” (Courtney, 25:44)
  • On route: “On the passenger seat rested his laptop equipped with the hate filled racist manifesto.” (Colin, 33:02)
• Arrival & Surveillance
  • Patrick arrives in El Paso early morning, scouts Walmart by first entering as a customer—“If you did look at him that morning, you'd think he was your average customer…” (Courtney, 34:15)
  • Interacts briefly with other customers, including an elderly woman.
  • Buys oranges, lingers, watches crowds while seemingly indecisive, repeatedly returning to his car. (Courtney, 34:15)
• Last Online Activity before Attack
  • Posts “It’s time and hello FBI” thread on 8chan; uploads his manifesto, reacts to comments. (Colin, 36:45; key user reaction: “op’s been training for this his whole life.”)
  • Writes “FML nervous as hell” as he finalizes his post. (Colin, 36:45)
  • After reviewing online responses, he arms himself and walks toward Walmart.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Patrick’s Childhood
  • “He was labeled as the, quote, strange one… he started having violent thoughts… very sensitive to touch and sound.” (Courtney, 05:32)
• On Family Dysfunction
  • “My behavior…the last few years had placed him in a state of fear and uncertainty…he was the oldest and had taken on responsibility by default as the man of the house.” (Brian Crusius’s book, relayed by Courtney, 08:06)
• On Online Radicalization
  • “He was there. His whole world was in his computer because he was just socially… in it.” (Patrick’s lawyer, cited by Colin, 16:28)
• On Christchurch Shooter’s Manifesto
  • “We are experiencing an invasion on a level never seen before in history. Millions pouring across our borders, legally invited…to replace the white people…” (Colin quoting Christchurch text, 19:17)
• On El Paso Shooter’s Manifesto
  • “This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas. They are the instigators, not me. I am simply defending my country from cultural and ethnic replacement.” (Colin, 26:17)
  • "My motives for this attack are not at all personal. Actually, the Hispanic community was not my target before I read The Great Replacement." (Colin, 26:17)
• On Manifesto Posting & Last Moments Before the Attack
  • “If he continued to think too much about what he was about to do, he might not go through with it...FML nervous as hell.” (Colin, 36:45)
• Closing Reflection
  • “Within just a few short minutes, he would violently take the lives of 23 people, making it one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history.” (Courtney, 38:24)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Vivid Opening & Trigger Warning — 01:52
• Childhood and Family — 04:43 to 08:06
• Isolation and High School Years — 08:06 to 12:37
• Online Radicalization — 14:16 to 19:41
• Christchurch Shootings & Influence — 17:44 to 19:41
• Planning & Acquiring Firearm — 22:12 to 25:44
• Manifesto Highlights Read — 26:17 to 27:40
• El Paso Road Trip & Surveillance — 32:09 to 34:15
• Final Steps & Manifesto Posting — 36:45 to 38:24

Tone & Presentation

Courtney and Colin’s narration is deliberate, somber, and careful to delineate factual detail from opinion, while maintaining empathy for the victims and wariness of sensationalizing hatred. They issue strong trigger warnings and only include manifesto excerpts to illuminate, not amplify, extremist ideology.

Conclusion and Next Episode Tease

The episode concludes with Patrick preparing to initiate his attack—ending just moments before the shooting. Courtney and Colin affirm their commitment to honoring the victims in Part 2, with a note about their donation to an El Paso non-profit and gentle reminders of the human tragedy behind the headlines.

For those seeking a thorough understanding of the El Paso Walmart shooter and the factors culminating in a horrific act of hate, this episode offers detailed insights without glorifying the attacker. Part 2 promises to address the attack, its victims, and the community’s response.