Mother of alleged El Paso shooter Patrick Crusius called police about son owning assault rifle
The El Paso shooting suspect's mother called the Allen Police Department weeks before the shooting because she was concerned about her son owning an "AK"-type firearm, lawyers for the family told ABC News.
Chris Ayres and R. Jack Ayres, the lawyers representing the family of alleged shooter Patrick Crusius, said his mother contacted police because she was worried about her son owning the weapon given his age, maturity level and lack of experience handling such a firearm.
His mother was transferred to a public safety officer who allegedly told her that her son, 21, was legally allowed to purchase the weapon, lawyers said. The mother did not provide her name or her son's name, and police did not seek any additional information from her before the call concluded, according to the attorneys.
CNN was first to report the call to law enforcement.
The Allen Police Department, in a statement, confirmed that on June 27, 2019, at approximately 11:15 a.m., a call came into the main line of the police department. While calls made to the department's main line are not recorded, an internal security camera recorded one side of the conversation, police said.
"The Public Safety Officer answered informational questions about firearms possession and ownership and additionally inquired about the emotional state and intentions of the person who had ordered the weapon," according to the police statement. "The information relayed by the caller did not warrant additional law enforcement involvement because, as reported in the CNN news article, the caller indicated that her inquiry 'was not motivated out of a concern that her son posed a threat to anybody.'"
The police official who spoke with Crusius's mother did inquire if the person in question was "suicidal or have they made any threats towards any other person?" and the mother indicated he had not, police said.
The mother's concern was that her son did not have the training or maturity to own this type of firearm, officials said.
The mother's inquiry was "informational" in nature and was not motivated out of a concern that her son posed a threat to anybody, the lawyers said.
It is not known whether the gun the mother inquired about is the weapon used in the attack.
The Crusius family lives in Allen, Texas, a suburb of Dallas and about a 10-hour drive from El Paso.
Crusius is accused to opening fire at an Walmart in the Texas border town, killing 22 people and injuring another 26. Crusius told law enforcement members he wanted to kill as many Mexicans as possible, sources told ABC News. The 21-year-old also allegedly wrote a "manifesto" outlining his hate for immigrants and Mexicans.
He could face the death penalty on charges of capital murder.
ABC News' Kate Holland and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
