Two years later family of those killed in Walmart mass shooting work to heal
EL PASO, Texas (CBS4) — Two years later many are still working to heal from the tragedy that struck El Paso on August 3, 2019.
Albert Hernandez lost his sister and brother-in-law in the mass shooting that day.
“Let’s not forget the fact this was our 9/11,” Hernandez said.
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The healing process is different for everybody. For Hernandez, two years later he is at the point where he is ready for closure.
I do a lot of talking to God,” Hernandez said. “We know they are in a better place. Now it seems like there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Closure doesn’t always mean you can let go of some of the things that hurt you the most.
“Personally our family we will never forgive him,” Hernandez said.
“Him being the man that stepped foot into the Cielo Vista Walmart two years ago, killing 23 innocent people, and wounding dozens more," he said.
Maribel Hernandez (Albert’s sister) and Leo Campos were among those killed.
“It’s still a little surreal that this happened,” Albert Hernandez said.
Hernandez said even 731 days later some days are harder than others.
“None of us have gone back to Walmart. Just that day [it opened],” Hernandez said.
Instead of going to a place that brought him so much pain he chooses to go places where he and Maribel shared the most memories.
“Me and Maribel would come out here, cruise, goof off, play around, and listen to music. Wonderful memories here at Ascarate park,” Hernandez said.
Maribel and Leo were married for 16 years. Maribel left behind three brothers and four children. She was an El Paso native and attended Austin High School.
Albert said the best form of healing for his family has been to talk about the kind of people they were, the moments that made them smile and the love the couple shared.
“My sister was the life of the party. Happy always. She would like to have parties, get-togethers, she was a very happy person,” Hernandez said. “One time she would get up on a Saturday and cook for the homeless and she was like ‘Let’s go feed the homeless. I know if one of them would have been left without the other it would have been a difficult situation for one of them.”
For Albert specifically, he has coped by taking pen to paper, creating a 207-page book called ‘El Paso’s Darkest Day’.
“Everything is in there. I put out everything in there. It’s in the book,” Hernandez said.
That was the step in the healing process. He said attending events the city has held to honor the lives lost has also been a big help.
“We have attended every single of those events,” Hernandez said.
Albert is now able to feel comfortable with a smile on his face.
“We want to cherish all of the good memories,” Hernandez said.
He said he and his family have come a long day.
“It’s in God’s hands.”
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Their faith is in God, their hope is for justice to be served, and their plan is to move forward stronger than they were.
“We understand that they are gone but we rally as a family for the ones that are still here, which there are a lot of them. We need to be strong for them so we can all move forward as a family because life continues and we will not let this hold us back or keep us in mourning forever,” Hernandez said.
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