City moving forward with memorial for Walmart shooting victims
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The City of El Paso is moving forward with creating a memorial for the victims of the Aug. 3, 2019 Walmart mass shooting.
The memorial would be built at an East El Paso park that is close to the site of the shooting.
The El Paso City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday, March 12 to create a memorial at Ponder Park, at 7500 WH Burges Dr.
The cost would be about $630,000 and would come out of the Museum and Cultural Department’s public art fund.
On Aug. 3, 2019, gunman Patrick Crusius killed 23 people and wounded more than 20 others at the Cielo Vista Walmart store.
Crusius has already pleaded guilty on federal charges and is awaiting trial on state charges in which he could face the death penalty.
The memorial will consist of 23 trees and 23 lights that would be installed in memory of the 23 people who lost their lives.
The names of those victims would also be engraved on granite tombstones along with poems.
Construction is expected to start in March 2024 and is scheduled to be completed in July 2024, according to the City.
The project would also include benches, an irrigation system, new landscaping, lighting and a new paved walking path.
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