‘Why us?’ El Paso man mourns loss of sister last Aug. 3rd with new book
EL PASO, Texas -- It's been exactly one year since Al Hernandez lost his sister and her husband in El Paso's greatest tragedy.
"We have questioned ourselves many, many times: 'Why us?'" Hernandez explained to ABC-7. "That's how our community feels. That this is our 9/11. We were attacked."
On that horrific Saturday morning, his first thoughts were of family.
"I was just like, 'Oh my gosh. Thank God I have my kids here today,'" Hernandez explained. "We didn't hear anything about Maribel or Leo."
Then, he said his family got a call they would never forget. Maribel had never picked up her dog, Fiji, from the dog groomer. Then, Hernandez said Maribel's son tracked her phone to the inside of the Cielo Vista Walmart.
Maribel Hernandez and Leo Campos were two of the 23 killed on El Paso's darkest day.
"It's just like, you wouldn't think your loved one would die in such a manner," Hernandez said. "Practically slaughtered."
'El Paso's Darkest Day' is also the name of a new book authored by Al, in memory of his sister.
"I want people to understand that she was a human being," Hernandez explained. "I want people to understand that she had a life."
Hernandez also wanted to honor the beauty of the Borderland: Two countries, two cultures and two communities.
"No one is born racist," Hernandez explained. "It's taught to children at a very early age. What harm are we doing to our children when we're teaching them hatred?"
Federal prosecutors accuse the suspected gunman of racist motives in the deadly attack. His manifesto reportedly warned of a "Hispanic invasion."
"These are people who were not here to invade or cause any harm to this country," Hernandez said. "They were just here shopping."
After Operation H.O.PE. paid for the funeral of his sister in full, Hernandez said he hopes to donate a "generous" amount of the proceeds from his book to help the organization pay for funerals of Covid-19 victims.
"Maybe in that way, our Maribel and Leo can help the community, to give (to) someone that really needs that help," Hernandez said.
