El Paso Shooting Aftermath: Walmart To Reopen With One Major Addition

The Cielo Vista Walmart, rocked in Augusty by the El Paso mass shooting that claimed 22 lives, will soon reopen, with one significant addition. The department store will open its door at 9 a.m. on Nov. 14, and in the ensuing weeks, construction will commence on a monument set to be anchored on the southern edge of the parking lot.

The memorial is estimated to finish construction in late November or early December. It will consist of a 30-foot cylindrical structure ringed by 22 perforated aluminum columns, one for each victim of the tragic shooting in August.

The structure, which Walmart intends to name “The Grand Candela,” will also emit a beam of light.

“As the store resumes retail operations, we remain focused on honoring the victims and survivors," said Todd Peterson, Walmart vice president and regional general manager. “Our goal is to establish a memorial that honors the victims, recognizes the binational relationship between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, and celebrates the strength of the El Paso community.”

Extensive reconstruction has also been done to the interior and exterior of the building, which the company plans to showcase at the reopening event.

Prior to committing the act, the El Paso gunman posted a racist and xenophobic manifesto online, wherein he expressed fear and hatred toward immigrants, Latinos, and Democratic politicians.

El Paso, over 600 miles from the shooter's home in Dallas, is a border town widely known for its significant population of Mexican immigrants.