El Paso is marking the 2nd anniversary of the mass shooting outside a WalMart with events honoring the 23 people killed.
A gunman started shooting in the parking lot outside the store August 3, 2019 before going inside and opening fire.
"We know it's not only El Paso but the rest of the country that is trying to heal and understand what happened on that day," says El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego.
Tuesday, the families of the victims are attending the dedication of a "healing garden." Samaniego says the garden includes plants and water displays.
"It's something that's visual, something that's not going to stand alone," he says. "It's not a memorial. It's a place of healing, a place of unity."
The garden will open to the public Tuesday night.
"We just hope it gives strength as you walk in there for yourself that there's something that garden moves in you, whether it's the flowers, the scent of the flowers, the water," Samaniego says. "Whatever it is that makes you reach into yourself in a way you feel blessed enough to bless others who come into your path."
Also, the Border Network for Human Rights is holding a "remembrance and call to action against white supremacy, racism and xenophobia." The event in a park in El Paso includes leaders from several different faiths and Congresswoman Veronica Escobar.
Luminarias will be displayed at another park, and the El Paso Symphony Orchestra Quintet will play a tribute from 8-9 p.m. Visitors at Ponder Park will be given an orange ribbon.
The suspect in the shooting, Patrick Crusius, is awaiting trial on state and federal charges of capital murder and hate crimes. In an arrest warrant affidavit, he told investigators he was targeting "Mexicans." The El Paso police chief says Crusius also posted a manifesto online before the shooting.
Crusius has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers say he has "diagnosed mental disabilities" that should disqualify him from the death penalty.
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