Texas man pleads guilty to hate crimes against Muslims years after opening fire and killing 1, injuring 4

A Dallas man pleaded guilty Thursday to five federal hate crimes stemming back to 2015, when he opened fire on Muslims at a Texas auto repair shop, killing a man and injuring four other individuals.

Anthony Paz Torres, 38, also pleaded guilty to a single count of using a firearm to commit the murder, the Department of Justice said.

According to the investigation, the shooting spree occurred Dec. 24, 2015, just a few days after he went to Omar’s Wheels and Tires in Dallas, made anti-Muslim remarks and pledged to return.

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When he returned Christmas Eve, Torres asked customers if they were Muslim, the DOJ said, before opening fire on customers and employees at the shop.

FOX 4 Dallas reported that during the shooting, Torres killed a 25-year-old man, and an armed witness reportedly fired back, striking Torres.

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The suspect then fled to an area hospital, where police arrested him.

“Acts of Islamophobic-violence that cause death and injury have no place in our country and run contrary to our values as Americans,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said. “This defendant is being held accountable for a violent and deadly hate-fueled shooting spree targeting innocent Muslim Americans. The Justice Department is firmly committed to confronting unlawful acts of bias-motivated violence, and stands ready, willing and able to prosecute perpetrators who target victims because of their religion.”

Torres is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 24.

He faces a maximum penalty of up to 37 years in prison under the terms of the agreement, and will receive credit for time already served.