ALLEN, Texas — An Allen council member who lives in the neighborhood where the El Paso mass shooter grew up will soon be pushing fellow city officials to stop gun shows at the Allen Events Center.
The City's name has been in headlines and stories across the world after 21-year-old Patrick Crusius walked into an El Paso Walmart last Saturday and shot dozens of customers.
Arrest documents released Friday show that Crusius told police he traveled from North Texas to the border town so that he could "target Mexicans."
So far, the death toll stands at 22 while dozens of others recover from their injuries.
On Friday night, nearly 10 hours from the very Walmart where the shooting happened, an Allen council member said she has had enough.
Lauren Doherty, a first-term council member elected last year, told WFAA that she doesn't want the City to stay silent and fail to be proactive in the wake of El Paso.
She wants the City to end all of its contracts with gun shows and stop hosting gun show events at the Allen Events Center, a City-owned property.
Several shows are held at the center every year. One was just held there in July, and another will be hosted in December.
While discussing the issue, Doherty told WFAA that Crusius grew up in her neighborhood and went to the same school as her children.
"He grew up in this very neighborhood," she said. "I don't understand what happened to him, he grew up in a place with so many people from so many places."
Doherty didn't know Crusius or his family personally but realizing that a mass shooter was one of her neighbors has pushed her into action.
Yet, it's no secret how Doherty feels about guns. In June, she was the only council member who opposed a zoning permit for a new gun range in town.
In response, a number of gun advocates called for her resignation. One meeting got heated during public comment when a resident had to be scolded by the mayor.
"As leaders in our community, what can we do to impact this national crisis of mass shootings and gun violence?" Doherty said.
Doherty added that her main issue with gun shows is that purchases don't require background checks.
"That's one of their biggest problems," Doherty said.
Texas doesn't require any background checks for private gun sales. Limits are also not required for multiple gun purchases or large-capacity magazines for ammunition.
Doherty told WFAA that the idea of stopping gun shows on city property isn't unheard of. Travis County stopped them in one of its event centers in 2014 when a gun show wouldn't require background checks for all transactions.
On Sunday, one day after the shooting, Doherty posted about the idea on her Facebook page and was met with backlash.
Some users called her a communist, un-American, and one even told her to leave the state.
Other city council members, including the mayor, didn't respond to WFAA for a comment about the issue Friday night.
Doherty said that she will also be hosting a community discussion event on August 25 regarding polarizing beliefs in society.