HOUSTON: A Texas man who opened fire at a Muslim-owned car repair shop, killing one person and injuring four, was sentenced to 37 years in prison on hate crime charges yesterday.
Anthony Paz Torres, 39, was convicted in 2018 of the Christmas Eve 2015 attack at Omar's Wheels and Tires in Dallas and sentenced to 35 years behind bars.
He pleaded guilty in September of last year to separate federal hate crime charges and received an additional 37-year sentence yesterday with credit for time served.
"Hate crimes fuelled by Islamophobia, or by bias of any kind, will be met with the full force of the Justice Department," Attorney-General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "No person in this country should have to live in fear because of who they are, what they look like, or how they pray."
Federal Bureau of Investigation director Christopher Wray said Torres "intentionally targeted victims at a Muslim-owned business".
"This case is an abhorrent example of how deadly Islamophobia can be in our own country and the severe consequences that wait for anyone who commits acts of hateful violence," Wray said.
Torres opened fire on employees and customers at Omar's Wheels and Tires after making anti-Muslim comments, according to court documents, fatally wounding a bystander. — AFP
