DALLAS — A federal jury has indicted a man with federal hate crime charges, accusing him of killing one man and injuring four others at a Dallas mechanic shop in 2015.
The indictment alleges that 37-year-old Anthony Paz Torres shot at employees and customers at Omar's Wheels and Tires, a Muslim-owned business, on Christmas Eve 2015.
Torres had gone to the business days earlier but was told by police not to return, a U.S. Attorney's Office news release stated. When returning on Christmas Eve, he shot and killed a man and tried killing three others with a gun, and tried to kill a fourth person with his car as he was leaving.
According to police, witnesses said Anthony Torres, 30, approached employees at the business at about 3:42 p.m. and asked for a specific employee and to use their air to fill up his tires. Police said Torres was told the employee wasn't at the shop, but that he could use their air.
"The suspect turned around and walked toward his vehicle," the arrest warrant reads. "Once arriving at his vehicle, the suspect then pulled out a firearm from his waistline and started shooting in the direction of all the witnesses that were standing in front of the business."
Police said an armed employee fired shots back.
Enrique Garcia-Mendoza, 25, was fatally wounded as he sat in the back of a vehicle parked in front of the business. Another person is listed in critical condition after he was transported to a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest. Others at the scene suffered minor injuries during the incident.
Police said authorities found Torres at Baylor Hospital, where he drove himself with gunshot wounds. Authorities said they were able to locate his vehicle at the hospital based on witnesses' descriptions and found a weapon inside.
According to the arrest warrant, Torres claims he became involved in the gunfight after a verbal argument with a person he said pulled out a gun first.
If convicted, Torres faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment on the death-resulting hate crime and gun charges.
Faizan Syed, the executive director of CAIR-DFW, said CAIR-DFW welcomed the federal indictment and hate crime charges against Torres.
"We applaud law enforcement and the Assistant Attorney General for taking an important step towards justice in this case," Syed wrote in a statement. "Hate crime charges are significant in cases like this as the victims are not only those who were directly targeted but all members of the targeted community. We continue to pray for the victims' families and hope they find solace in this ruling."