The El Paso Shooting Victims: Here Are Some of Their Stories
By Jose A. Del Real and
In many ways, it was a Walmart like all the others: a place to buy groceries, to pick up new school supplies and sometimes even to splurge on cosmetics. But then an ordinary Saturday morning for shoppers in El Paso was abruptly upended when a gunman opened fire in the store.
He killed 20 people and wounded 27 others.
Most of the victims have yet to be identified publicly. But as their names and stories emerge, the rhythms of bicultural life in the Texas border town come into clearer view. The store, less than 10 miles north of the southern border, attracted Americans and Mexicans alike.
Mexico’s foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, on Sunday announced that several of the country’s citizens were among the dead.
They include: Sara Esther Regalado and Gloria Irma Márquez from Ciudad Juárez, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, which borders Texas and New Mexico; Ivan Filiberto Manzano, also from Ciudad Juárez; Elsa Mendoza de la Mora of Yepomera, in Chihuahua; Adolfo Cerros Hernández of Aguascalientes, in central Mexico; and Jorge Calvillo García of Torreón, in the Mexican state of Coahuila, which also borders Texas.
These are some of the victims’ stories.
Jordan and Andre Anchondo
Jordan and Andre Anchondo were at Walmart with their 2-month-old baby boy when the gunfire began.
The baby, Paul, was grazed by a bullet and has two broken fingers, most likely from the moment his mother’s body fell on him. He is being treated by doctors.
But Jordan and Andre, the parents of Paul and two other young children, were both killed, according to their family. Jordan was 24, and Andre was 23.
“She was so funny and her laugh was contagious,” said Monique Terry, Mr. Anchando’s cousin. “I know everyone says that, but hers was really contagious. And she was so beautiful and just so smart. This is a really big loss.”
Arturo Benavides
Arturo Benavides, 60, was grocery shopping on Saturday at the Walmart with his wife, Patricia. He was paying at the register when the shooting happened, according to his goddaughter, Jacklin Luna. His wife, who survived, was sitting on a bench by the bathroom and was pushed into a bathroom stall during the shooting, separating her from her husband.
Ms. Luna said Mr. Benavides was an Army veteran and a bus driver for Sun Metro, El Paso’s public transit system. She said he had lived in El Paso his whole life and had been married to Patricia for over 30 years. Mr. Benavides had four brothers and three sisters, Ms. Luna said.
Ms. Luna said her godfather could be stubborn but was very sociable and would talk to anyone. “He would tell them about the military or his army days,” she said. “He was super-super giving, caring.”
Angelina Englisbee
Ms. Englisbee, 86, who was known as Angie, was talking on the phone with one of her sons just before 10:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, when she told him that she had to hang up because she was in the checkout line at Walmart.
That was the last the family heard from her, according to her granddaughter, Mia Peake, 16.
Mia said the family learned on Sunday evening that Ms. Englisbee was among the victims of the shooting. When the news came, Mia and her mother were in the car, driving to El Paso from their home in New Mexico.
“My mom could not stop crying, and I remember thinking, I can’t cry until we get there, I can’t cry until we stop,” Mia said.
Ms. Englisbee had seven children and a son who died in infancy, Mia said. Her husband died of a heart attack, leaving her to raise the children on her own.
Mia said her grandmother had loved watching sports and “General Hospital.”
“She was a very strong person, very blunt,” she said.
The family gathered on Sunday at her grandmother’s house. Mia said they were thinking of going on Monday to see a video of the shooting, to find out exactly what happened to Ms. Englisbee.
“It feels like hell — it doesn’t feel real,” Mia said.
This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Elisabeth Malkin contributed from Mexico City.
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