Patrick Crusius, 21, has been charged with capital murder in connection to the Aug. 3 shooting.
In an arrest warrant obtained Friday by The Washington Post, Detective Adrian Garcia said Crusius told investigators he was armed with an AK-47 assault rifle and multiple magazines when he walked into the El Paso Walmart store on Saturday afternoon.
Garcia said that during an interview with police, "(Crusius) stated his target(s) were 'Mexicans.'"
Crusius surrendered to authorities after the attack and identified himself as the gunman, according to police. Crusius later told investigators he drove about 10 hours from his home in Allen, Texas, to El Paso to carry out the shooting, according to police and The New York Times.
Citing three unidentified sources, CNN reported Friday that Crusius decided to attack the El Paso Walmart partially because of how far it was from his hometown. The news network reported Crusius believed he would be recognized by family and acquaintances if he instead carried out the shooting near Allen, a suburb of Dallas.
About 11% of the population of Allen is Hispanic or Latino while about 81% of the population is Hispanic or Latino in El Paso, according to data from the 2010 U.S. Census.
Police said after Crusius' arrest that they were investigating text posted online before the attack that indicated the shooting might have been a hate crime. The text included a post on the online forum 8chan in which Crusius allegedly listed "the Hispanic invasion of Texas" as one of the reasons for the shooting, KTVT reported.
Authorities are investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism. Texas authorities previously said they would seek the death penalty for Crusius.
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