#ElPasoStrong trends as city pulls together following shooting
- Published
Vigils have been held across El Paso after the shooting
Social media is being used to help the victims of a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas.
Twenty people were killed and 26 injured in when a man opened fire in a Walmart, a few miles from the US-Mexican border.
After the attack #ElPasoStrong has trended as people share stories of how locals are offering support to victims.
It's been called "one of the most deadly days in the history of Texas" by the state's governor Greg Abbott.
#GlenOakleyHero
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Shortly after the shooting, footage emerged of a man called Glen Oakley speaking to a local news team about how he'd heard the gunshots from a nearby store where he was shopping.
As he ran out he saw children in the shop without their parents so he picked up as many as he could and carried them to safety.
Mr Oakley said he is in the military and when he hears gunshots his first thought was to "take cover, save whoever I can".
When a reporter messaged him to thank him for what he'd done he replied "I could have done more".
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Since then, #GlenOakley and #GlenOakleyHero trended with thousands of people sharing his story.
'Lines around the block'
Detailed updates of how and where to give blood to victims of the shooting have been posted on Reddit
Following the attack, local police said there was "an urgent need for blood".
It led to hundreds of people turning up at blood banks offering donations, with people giving updates on a Reddit feed, external which included details of which blood types were needed most.
One local posted a picture of the line at their blood bank and wrote: "THIS is El Paso.
"Blood banks were turning people away because so many people came to donate. Lines around the block.
"Those who couldn't donate brought water and snacks for those waiting in line. We are #ElPasoStrong".
'Scared of ICE'
Vigils have also been held near the Mexican border after reports that some of the victims were from Mexico
Although the victims of the attack have not yet been named, Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said three Mexicans were among those killed.
The police and FBI are also investigating whether an anonymous white nationalist "manifesto", shared on an online forum, was written by the gunman.
The document says the attack was targeted at the local Hispanic community.
Some people on Twitter claimed a few of the victims had avoided going to hospital because of fears of not having the correct documents to live in the US and any treatment would lead to complications with American Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
After seeing these stories, local immigration lawyer Cynthia Lopez offered to make myself available to anyone who needed professional medical attention.
"Heard rumours that some El Paso victims drove themselves home because they were scared of ICE," she tweeted, external.
"If this is true, please have them reach out to me. I am an immigration attorney and am willing to go with them."
Free funerals
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As the death toll continued to rise, the son of a local pastor tweeted: "My dad is doing free funeral services for those involved in today's shooting there in El Paso."
He added a picture containing a list of places where his father would be working, which has been shared hundreds of times on Twitter.
Many replied with support, including messages like "you must be very proud of your dad" and "what a good citizen he is".
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- Published5 September
