Walmart Employee Helped Around 150 Escape From El Paso Mass Shooting

Dozens of people were hit by gunfire. To date, 22 people were killed and more than 20 injured. The prime suspect has been identified as a 21-year-old from Allen, Texas with reported ties to the alt-right.

Reporter Brianna Sacks is in El Paso, filing dispatches from a city trying to make sense of it all. The gunman reportedly penned an anti-immigrant manifesto — disturbing news for a city with a large Mexican-American population.

A morning trip to Walmart is an experience familiar to practically every American. But on the day of the shooting, no one could have expected the chaos that would ensue.

Shootings are often defined by their death tolls. But it's easy to forget about the people who survive, but sustain serious injuries. Virtually every mass shooting not only kills people, it also leaves others maimed for life.

Sacks shared the story of Gilbert Serna, who'd worked at the El Paso Walmart for years. He said he first heard that something was amiss on his two-way radio.

Serna said he checked what "code brown" meant, realized it meant a shooting, then heard the distinctive sound of gunfire nearby. While many might freeze in the situation, Serna quickly sprung into action.

Serna directed about 150 customers and employees out of the store through a fire exit and into some shipping containers to escape the violence. He closed the container doors to hide them from the shooter.

Mass shootings are unfortunately nothing new in the United States, but recent shootings have been carried out by individuals with racist, anti-immigrant leanings. Many commentators have linked this to to the presidency of Donald Trump.

There's no word on whether Walmart plans to honor their long-time employee for his heroism, but it seems like a safe bet. If it wasn't for his actions, the death toll could have been far greater.

President Donald Trump is set to speak in El Paso — a move that the city's mayor isn't exactly happy about. Let us know what you think in the comments section.

h/t: @bri_sacks