Source: United States Department of Justice News
A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging Anthony Paz Torres, 37, with federal hate crimes, resulting in the death of one person and including an attempt to kill four others during a shooting at Omar’s Wheels and Tires. Torres is also charged with using a firearm to commit the murder.
The indictment alleges that Torres went to Omar’s Wheels and Tires on December 24, 2015, and shot at employees and customers at the business. Torres had gone to the business a few days earlier, but was told by law enforcement officers to not return. When he returned on Christmas Eve, Torres shot and killed one individual and attempted to kill three other individuals with his firearm. As he was leaving, Torres attempted to kill a fourth individual with his motor vehicle. The indictment further alleges that Torres committed these offenses because of the actual or perceived religion of another person.
Torres faces a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment on the death-resulting hate crime and gun charge counts. For the remaining hate crime charges, he faces a term of years.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham of the Northern District of Texas made the announcement.
The FBI Dallas Field Office and the Dallas Police Department investigated the case with support of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.
Trial Attorney Rebekah J. Bailey of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Dana for the Northern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
For more information and resources about the department’s work to combat hate crimes, visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.
An indictment is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.