Walmart shooting widower given new car to replace damaged SUV reportedly stolen after wife’s burial

An El Paso auto dealership gave Walmart shooting widower Antonio Basco a new car Monday evening to replace a smashed vehicle belonging to his late wife that he said was stolen and vandalized just hours after she was laid to rest.

Thousands of strangers showed up to pay their respects to 63-year-old Margie Reckard at Basco’s request. She was buried on Saturday morning and the SUV was supposedly stolen Saturday night, although El Paso police said Basco never reported the theft.

The vehicle, which had recently been serviced, was towed back to his home on Sunday after being discovered severely damaged.

Casa Ford, the car dealership where Basco’s car was serviced, gave him a replacement SUV at no cost to the cheers of onlookers.

Basco cried and hugged those who gathered for the presentation just before 6 p.m. Monday; he didn’t speak with reporters. Basco’s friend, Angel Gomez of Operation Hope, had said earlier in the day that Basco “needs time” given all that he’d been through in recent days.

An anonymous donor on Monday also gave Basco a new pressure washing machine to replace the one which he told the tow company was also stolen from inside a trailer that was parked next to the SUV.