Police probe shooting warning signs

The mother of Patrick Crusius, the suspect in Saturday’s mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, called local police weeks earlier out of concern that her son owned a semiautomatic rifle, lawyers for the family said Wednesday. Police arrested Crusius and linked him to a white supremacist manifesto posted online just before the attack that killed 22 people and wounded many others at a Walmart.

Did the mother suspect her son was dangerous? No, but she told police she was worried about her son owning the firearm given his age and lack of experience, CNN reported. A public safety officer told her that because her son was 21, he was legally allowed to purchase the weapon. It is unclear whether the gun the mother asked about was used in the shooting. Texas does not have “red flag” laws that allow a judge to temporarily confiscate firearms if the owner is considered a threat, and it is unclear whether those laws would have applied in this situation.

Dig deeper: President Donald Trump recently called for Congress to pass red flag laws. Democrats are warning they will not support such a measure unless it is paired with universal background checks.