El Paso shooting prosecutor resigns
EL PASO, Texas — A Texas prosecutor facing mounting criticism over the handling of the 2019 Walmart mass shooting in El Paso that killed 23 people resigned Monday after the county took the extraordinary step of seeking to remove her from elective office.
El Paso County District Attorney Yvonne Rosales, a Democrat who was elected in 2020, agreed to resign during a court hearing, El Paso television station KTSM reported. Her last day will be Dec. 14.
Rosales’ job was jeopardized by accusations of incompetence involving hundreds of criminal cases in El Paso and slowing down the case against Patrick Crusius, the suspected Walmart shooter who faces the death penalty if convicted. He has pleaded innocent.
El Paso County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal wrote last week in an amended petition that when it came to the Walmart shooting, Rosales’ office “could not even tell the court what work had been done on this case in the last few months.”
Rosales’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Her successor for the remainder of her term, which expires in 2024, will be chosen by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
“Under the best of circumstances, holding public office is difficult. I appreciate that DA Rosales’ decision to resign was a difficult one,” Bernal said, according to the El Paso Times.