An attorney for the family of the man charged in the El Paso Walmart shooting rampage says the man's mother contacted Allen police weeks before the rampage out of concern that her son had a rifle.
Dallas attorney Chris Ayres confirmed to NBC 5 that the mother contacted the Allen Police Department to ask about an "AK" type firearm her son Patrick Crusius owned.
Ayres said the mother was only seeking information and wasn't motivated by a concern that her son was a threat to anybody. He also said the mother didn't identify herself or her son in the call.
Sgt. Jon Felty, Allen police spokesman, told The Associated Press there was no record of such a call and he wasn't aware of such a call.
Thursday afternoon, the Allen police department issued a statement saying it reviewed phone records and located a call that came in at approximately 11:15 a.m. on Thursday, June 27, 2019. The call to the police department's main line, which is not recorded, was captured on a security camera that only recorded the call taker's conversation.
"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 department's statement.
The statement went on to say "the information relayed by the caller did not warrant additional law enforcement involvement," since as the family attorney told NBC 5, the caller indicated that her inquiry wasn't motivated by a concern that her son was a threat to anybody.
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Allen is about 580 miles east of El Paso.
Crusius has been charged with capital murder in state court for the Saturday massacre, and may face federal hate-crime charges that could also come with a death sentence if he's convicted.
Attorney Mark Stevens, Crusius' court-appointed lawyer told The Associated Press in an email Wednesday that he "will use every legal tool available to me to prevent" Crusius from being put to death.
Stevens, a veteran criminal defense attorney from San Antonio, said he will only represent Crusius in state court and declined to comment further on the case. A judge appointed him Monday.
