FBI will likely take over El Paso mass shooting and investigate as a federal hate crime: CNN panel

CNN reported the name of the suspect arrested for the mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas on Saturday -- and CNN analysts explained why the FBI could be taking over the investigation.

"We have major breaking news right now, three sources -- while the sergeant was speaking -- have now confirmed to CNN that they’ve identified the suspect in custody, his name Patrick Crusius, 21 years old, of Allen, Texas," Wolf Blitzer reported.

"These sources, federal sources, telling CNN that they are reviewing online writing posted only days before the shootings that may speak, repeat, may speak to a motive. The sources say the online postings were written by Crusius but they've not confirmed that yet," Blitzer added.

"The other thing that I think is very interesting is that Allen, Texas, where this suspect is from according to the map is about ten hours or so away from this scene. It’s about 650 miles. So he would have had to have driven to this area," Shimon Prokupecz reported.

"As for the suspect, of course, we’ll all wait, but it would suggest why the FBI seems to be involved that if this is a hate crime or an ideologically motivated crime, a white male with a manifesto or something that we are now reporting on that the FBI would have jurisdiction because it could be a federal hate crime," CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem explained.

"If this was some sort of hate crime, there's the probability, a high probability that the FBI would come in and try -- as we’ve seen in other cases -- they would file federal hate crime charges but there is a lot of work that still needs to be done before we get there," Prokupecz said.

"I do think that with this manifesto and looking at the age and the race of the individual there it’s very possible, and I think Shimon also hit it when he mentioned that manifesto will lead to a motive more than likely and that motive is leaning heavily toward a hate crime. If that’s the case, the FBI will jump in, but the El Paso police will still be involved," CNN contributor and former police chief Charles Ramsey said.

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