El Paso killer booked on capital murder charges, but makes chilling admission to police, report says

The man accused of killing 20 people at an El Paso Walmart was officially booked into the El Paso jail on capital murder charges early Sunday morning, records show.

According to KTSM-TV, the man is being held without bond.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Emerson Bowie told KTSM that "enhanced charges" are likely given the probability the killer was a white nationalist inspired by hatred for Hispanic people.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Saturday that Texas prosecutors will "aggressively prosecute [the crime] both as capital murder but also as a hate crime."

A manifesto posted online, which has been attributed to the killer but not yet confirmed by authorities as authentic, said the attack was "a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas."

Indeed, the killer made a similar chilling admission to police.

According to ABC News, citing law enforcement officials, the killer told authorities his goal was to "shoot as many Mexicans as possible."

Such a motive would confirm why the killer — who is from Allen, Texas, which is 650 miles away from El Paso — drove nine hours to the border city, whose 650,000 population is majority Hispanic.

"This Anglo man came here to kill Hispanics," El Paso Sheriff Richard Wiles said, according to the Washington Post. "I'm outraged and you should be too. This entire nation should be outraged. In this day and age, with all the serious issues we face, we are still confronted with people who will kill another for the sole reason of the color of their skin."

The FBI is investigating the massacre as a domestic terrorism incident, CNN reported. The El Paso district attorney said at a press conference Sunday that prosecutors will pursue the death penalty.

This story has been updated.