Permanent memorial to be erected to honor El Paso shooting victims

City leaders say El Paso will erect a permanent memorial in honor of the Aug. 3 shooting victims.

Right now, there is a makeshift memorial directly behind the Cielo Vista Walmart, where a shooter claimed the lives of 22 people, injured 27, and sent shock waves through the Borderland.

There are a great number of unknowns regarding a permanent memorial honoring victims of the Walmart shooting.

A spokesman with the city assured ABC-7 the current memorial will not be taken down.

Action taken Tuesday directed city staff to begin researching where the permanent will be built.

The current memorial is on private property.

Because there is no price tag, city leaders also don’t know how much a memorial will cost.

Council members want staff to begin working with artists to envision what the memorial will should look like.

“We want to make sure that the families of not only the fallen, but those who were injured as well, as the mayor has mentioned, will be engaged as well. Because we really want to send a very, very clear message, through this type of project, that we are El Paso, El Paso strong in everything that’s significant about our community.” said Tracey Jerome, museum and cultural affairs director for the city.

City staff told council members they have identified where the money can come from, but they have no idea what the cost will be just yet.