By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER (AP Economics Writer)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Another month, another solid gain for America’s job market.

The pace of hiring by businesses and government agencies in June — 209,000 added jobs — was the smallest monthly gain in 2 1/2 years. Yet it was still a healthy increase, enough to reduce the unemployment rate from 3.7% to 3.6%, barely above a half-century low. And it amounted to further evidence of an economy that has defied persistent forecasts of a recession.

The latest sign of economic strength makes it all but certain that the Federal Reserve will resume its interest rate hikes later this month after having ended a streak of 10 rate increases that were intended to curb high inflation.

Yet there were also signals in Friday’s government report that the job market is cooling to a more sustainable pace of growth — a trend that, if it continues, could reassure the Fed that its rate hikes are reducing inflation pressures without derailing the economy.

“This is kind of a Goldilocks report,” said Julia Coronado, president of MacroPolicy Perspectives, an economic research firm. “It’s a resilient labor market — not too hot, not too cool.”

WHY IS HIRING SO CONSISTENT?

The economy has been beset by high interest rates, elevated inflation and nagging worries about a possible recession resulting from the Fed’s aggressive efforts to quell price increases.

Several factors, though, are countering those headwinds and helping perpetuate hiring, which typically boosts consumer spending and propels the economy.

Industries that are particularly sensitive to higher borrowing costs — such as housing and car sales — appear to have adjusted to the Fed’s higher rates. To take one example: Mortgage rates have nearly doubled since the Fed began raising borrowing costs 15 months ago. But most of that increase had occurred by last fall. In recent months, housing has shown signs of rebounding, with sales and construction of new homes picking up.

And higher interest rates normally would be expected to spur job losses in construction and manufacturing. This time, the opposite has happened: Construction firms added 23,000 jobs last month, automakers 4,300. There are so few homes available that even reduced demand for housing is spurring more construction — and more jobs.

Likewise, despite sharply higher loan rates, auto sales have risen this year largely because of pent-up demand after years of reduced supply.

Construction companies are also benefiting from ongoing infrastructure spending by the Biden administration, and so are other industries.

Mick Groneweld is CEO of one such company, Fehr Graham, an environmental engineering firm based in Rockford, Illinois. Groneweld says his company is looking to add at least 40 workers to its 230-person staff. The company, which designs water and wastewater projects and roads and industrial parks, mostly for cities and towns, is seeing healthy demand for its services. It is seeking to hire engineers, environmental scientists, accountants and surveyors.

Another trend stoking its hiring: Many of Fehr Graham’s employees retired during the pandemic and its aftermath, and the company needs more younger workers.

“We have an unbelievable amount of open opportunities,” Gronewold said. “We’re looking to hire people and can’t find them. We’re struggling to fill our positions.”

He estimates that his company has raised salaries 10%-15% just from a year ago to try to attract more job seekers.

Beyond all that, most of the U.S. economy is made up of services — from banking to restaurants to shipping and warehousing — that are much less affected by the Fed’s rate hikes.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS THAT THINGS ARE COOLING?

The most visible sign that hiring is slowing is that fewer industries are actually adding jobs. Most of last month’s job growth came in three broad categories that are largely insulated from economic trends: State and local governments, health care providers and private education. Together, they added 133,000 jobs.

Because those sectors don’t depend on robust consumer spending as much as the rest of the economy does, their hiring gains don’t really reflect rising consumer demand — the main fuel for inflation.

By contrast, retailers, transportation and warehousing firms as well as temporary staffing agencies all cut workers. A loss of temp jobs can be an early signal that companies need less labor.

Dean Baker, senior economist at the Center for Economic Policy Research, noted that excluding government hiring, private-sector job gains totaled 149,000 in June, a pace that does not necessarily point to an overheating economy that would alarm the Fed.

“It’s hard to say that’s too fast,” Baker said. “That’s pretty much sustainable.”

The government’s report Friday also showed that the economy gained 110,000 fewer jobs in April and May than it had previously estimated. Over the past three months, job growth excluding government has averaged 196,000 a month, down from 317,000 a month a year ago.

And the unemployment rate for Black Americans rose for a second straight month, to 6%, after having reached a record low of 4.7% in April. Some economists see Black workers as often the first to be laid off when the economy slows.

HOW WILL THE FEDERAL RESERVE RESPOND?

A rate hike at the Fed’s meeting later this month is considered all but assured. Whether the Fed will hike again when it next meets in September is harder to foresee.

The central bank’s policymakers may take solace from the slowdown in hiring, particularly once they exclude government jobs, which don’t reflect the state of demand in the economy. Fed officials signaled last month that they envision as many as two additional quarter-point rate hikes before the year ends.

But Chair Jerome Powell has also said he hopes to engineer a so-called “soft landing,” in which the economy would slow enough to tame inflation but not enough to succumb to a recession.

Friday’s jobs report suggests that the Fed may achieve that often-elusive goal, economists said.

“The Fed is on track for a soft landing,” said Betsey Stevenson, an economics professor at the University of Michigan. “What they have to do is steer us the rest of the way down. We didn’t crash, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t crash.”

WHERE ARE BUSINESSES FINDING WORKERS TO HIRE?

One factor that has supported the job market has been a rebound in the number of people looking for work. Many businesses say they’re seeing increased applications and are having an easier time filling jobs.

Higher inflation and an uncertain economic outlook appear to be drawing more people into the workforce. The proportion of Americans ages 25 through 54 — a category that filters out most students and retirees — who are working rose to 80.9% in June, above the pre-pandemic peak and the highest level in 22 years.

And legal immigration has rebounded after being restricted during the pandemic. Coronado estimates that immigrants are adding about 50,000 workers to the labor supply each month.

At the same time, the number of job openings dropped in May, a sign that demand for workers is gradually cooling.

Those trends suggest that supply and demand in the job market are becoming more balanced, a key goal of the Fed’s. Since the economy began recovering after the pandemic, demand for workers has far exceeded the supply. Such a trend can accelerate wage growth and heighten inflationary pressures.

Despite all the cross-currents, steady hiring is boosting the career prospects for many people across the country.

Consider the experience of Juan Bravo. This past spring, when Bravo, 24, decided to look for a new job, he was astonished at how fast he found one: With the help of the job platform UpSmith, it took just three days.

Bravo now works as an HVAC technician in Arlington, Texas, having left a job at a food processing plant after many of his co-workers also quit. The pay is about the same, but the schedule is much better: He used to have to work as late as 2 a.m. at his old job.

Bravo also sees much more opportunity for advancement in his new job. He intends to work his way up to a general manager spot.

“I am pursuing the career I wanted to do years ago,” when he graduated from high school, Bravo said. “The sky is the limit at this point.”

The Portsmouth Circuit Court Clerk’s office confirmed on Friday a new charge against Vincent McClean, a now retired Portsmouth police officer, for voluntary manslaughter in connection to the death of Carmeita Vangilder, a pregnant woman who died while in police custody.

A grand jury filed the new indictment against McClean on Thursday, the same day he was acquitted of other manslaughter charges in the 2018 death of Willie Marable III.

A lawsuit filed by Vangilder’s family in 2020 says the incident that led to the 28-year-old woman’s death in December 2018 started in a Walmart parking lot. Two officers, McClean and Tania Beale, were approached by an unnamed woman who told them a homeless woman, later identified as Vangilder, would not get out of the woman’s car. The officers determined that Vangilder had an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court and arrested her.

Vangilder had several aerosol cans in her purse, indicating she was involved in huffing inhalants, the lawsuit said. After Beale put her in handcuffs, Vangilder said several times that she wanted to sit because she did not feel good, according to the lawsuit. She “coughed repeatedly,” groaned and retched while being put in the police car. McClean denied her water, the lawsuit said, and she “continued to make distressed noises.”

During her pleas for assistance, McClean “continued to loudly unwrap and eat candy,” the suit said. Vangilder threw up in the police car and at the station. Her vomit had foam and mucus in it, according to the suit. Vangilder’s estate alleges McClean “made statements after Ms. Vangilder’s death, downplaying Ms. Vangilder having told him she felt sick.”

Vangilder begged for help but wasn’t given any until another inmate at the jail intervened on her behalf, the suit claimed. The lawsuit also claims Vangilder spoke with McClean and another officer about her pregnancy, and the two officers found hospital discharge papers from an emergency room visit that stated she was pregnant.

She went into cardiac arrest and died at the police station, the lawsuit said. Vangilder’s family alleges if police had acted sooner, she would not have died. The case was settled, with the city paying her family $550,000.

While in custody, the lawsuit alleges Vangilder “continually retched, doubled over, and called out to the officers, her face contorted in pain. She cried. She could not keep her head upright for any period of time, but continually could be seen hunched over with her head drooping at her waist.” The lawsuit said events at the police station are “less clear” since video footage is incomplete. Footage of Vangilder did not include audio, and the holding cell video jumps ahead by several minutes “numerous times.”

In a response, McClean’s defense states that he and his actions bore no responsibility for Vangilder’s injuries or death. McClean admits he was present with Vangilder in the police car, and “Vangilder coughed and asked for water.” He admits he did not provide water, since he did not have any, but he denies she made concerning sounds or that she was “clearly in distress.” He claims another officer showed him evidence of possible drug use. McClean denies that Vangilder ever said she did not feel well, which is why he did not take her to the hospital.

“McClean asserts that there was no indication that Ms. Vangilder was in distress or in need of medical care,” a portion of the response reads.

The response states McClean admitted that Beale said Vangilder threw up, but the response says McClean repeatedly denied he was aware Vangilder vomited in the back of the police car. The response goes on to say McClean “specifically denies that Ms. Vangilder vomited, believing only that Ms. Vangilder spit on the back of the police car.” He also denied that the vomit contained foam. The response also states that McClean was unaware she was pregnant until after she became unresponsive. Later, the response says McClean was not aware she was unresponsive until he was on his way to clean the spit out of the back of the police car at a car wash.

According to the response, McClean admits he entered Vangilder’s cell and had “brief conversations” with her, and at this time, there was still no indication she needed medical care.

The Portsmouth commonwealth attorney’s office declined to comment on any current or future indictments against Beale related to Vangilder’s death.

Gavin Stone contributed to this report.

Eliza Noe, [email protected]

O’Connor Brewing Co. is closing its Norfolk taproom and brewing facility, the owners announced Friday on social media. The brewery’s last day of operation is July 23.

“Although we are sad to say goodbye to our current neighborhood and employees, we are proud and grateful to be a part of the local business community since 2010 and look forward to this upcoming new chapter and the evolution of our business,” owners Kevin and Penny O’Connor said in a statement on social media.

Armed Forces Brewing Co., a military-themed, veteran-owned brewer from Annapolis, Maryland, will move into the brewing facility, bringing 47 jobs, according to an announcement from Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

O’Connor opened in 2010 and moved to its current location at 211 W. 24th St. in 2014. The beers were a hit: The company produced thousands of barrels a year.

Then, former employees called out the beer maker and its leadership for fostering an environment of racism, sexism and harassment in 2021. O’Connor management also implemented changes from a voluntary workplace culture investigation.

In the Friday announcement, O’Connor owners said the beer brand will still be manufactured and sold at restaurants and stores.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, [email protected]

By ZEKE MILLER, TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will provide cluster munitions to Ukraine, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday, vowing the U.S. will not leave Ukraine defenseless and asserting that Kyiv has promised to use the controversial bombs carefully.

The decision comes on the eve of the NATO summit in Lithuania, where President Joe Biden is likely to face questions from allies on why the U.S. would send a weapon into Ukraine that more than two-thirds of alliance members have banned because it has a track record for causing many civilian casualties. And it was met with divided reactions from Congress, as some Democrats criticized the plan while some Republicans backed it.

The munitions — which are bombs that open in the air and release scores of smaller bomblets — are seen by the U.S. as a way to get Kyiv critically needed ammunition to help bolster its offensive and push through Russian front lines. U.S. leaders debated the thorny issue for months, before Biden made the final decision this week.

Sullivan defended the decision, saying the U.S. will send a version of the munition that has a reduced “dud rate,” meaning fewer of the smaller bomblets fail to explode. The unexploded rounds, which often litter battlefields and populated civilian areas, cause unintended deaths. U.S. officials have said the U.S. will provide thousands of the rounds, but provided no specific numbers.

“We recognize the cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance,” he told a White House briefing. “This is why we’ve deferred the decision for as long as we could. But there is also a massive risk of civilian harm if Russian troops and tanks roll over Ukrainian positions and take more Ukrainian territory and subjugate more Ukrainian civilians, because Ukraine does not have enough artillery. That is intolerable to us.”

But Marta Hurtado, speaking for the U.N. human rights office, said Friday “the use of such munitions should stop immediately and not be used in any place.”

Colin Kahl, the under secretary of defense for policy, said the U.S. will give Ukraine the most modern cluster munitions that have far lower dud rates. He said the bombs have been tested five times between 1998 and 2020, and the U.S. is confident the rate of unexploded duds is below 2.35 percent. While he declined to say how many the U.S. will send now, he said the U.S. has “hundreds of thousands” of cluster munitions available for Ukraine at the low dud rate.

He said the key reason to provide the bombs is to keep Ukraine in the fight.

“Things are going a little slower than some had hoped,” Kahl said in a Pentagon briefing. “So this is to make sure that the Ukrainians have the confidence that they have what they need. But frankly, also that the Russians know that the Ukrainians are going to stay in the game.”

Kahl said the Ukrainians have provided written assurances that they will not use the munitions in urban areas that are populated by civilians and that there will be a careful accounting of where they are employed.

Questioned at length about the decision, Sullivan said the U.S. consulted closely with allies before making the final decision, noting that even allies who have signed on to a ban of the bombs “have indicated, both privately and many of them publicly over the course of today, that they understand our decision.”

Allies “recognize the difference between Russia using its cluster munitions to attack Ukraine and Ukraine using cluster munitions to defend itself its citizens and its sovereign territory,” he said. The U.S. “will not leave Ukraine defenseless at any point in this conflict, period.”

Still, U.S. reaction was mixed. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., called the decision “unnecessary and a terrible mistake.” And Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said the civilian risk lingers “often long after a conflict is over.” Meanwhile, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, backed the move, saying Ukraine needs access to weapons Russia already is using.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, some cluster munitions leave behind bomblets that have a high rate of failure to explode — up to 40% in some cases. With a claimed rate under 3% for the supply to Ukraine, U.S. officials said there would be fewer unexploded bombs left behind to harm civilians.

A convention banning the use of cluster bombs has been joined by more than 120 countries that agreed not to use, produce, transfer or stockpile the weapons and to clear them after they’ve been used. The United States, Russia and Ukraine are among those who have not signed on.

Ryan Brobst, a research analyst for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that while the majority of NATO members have signed on to the cluster munitions ban, several of those nearest Russia — Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Turkey — have not.

“The most important of those are Poland and Romania,” Brobst said, noting that the U.S. weapons will probably go through those countries en route to Ukraine. “While some allies raise objections, this is not going to prevent (cluster munitions) from being transferred into Ukraine.”

The cluster munitions are included in a new $800 million package of military aid the U.S. will send to Ukraine. Friday’s package, drawn from Pentagon stocks, will also include Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles and an array of ammunition, such as rounds for howitzers and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, officials said.

Providing the cluster bombs will also ease the pressure on limited U.S. ammunition stockpiles. The U.S. has been taking massive amounts of 155 mm rounds from Pentagon stocks and sending them to Ukraine, creating concerns about eating into American stores. The cluster munitions, which are fired by the same artillery as the conventional 155 mm, will give Ukraine a highly lethal capability and also allow them to strike more Russian targets using fewer rounds.

Kahl said the cluster bombs are not a permanent solution, but more of “a bridge” as the U.S. and allies work to increase the production of the 155 mm rounds.

So far the reactions from allies have been muted. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stressed on Friday that the military alliance takes no position on cluster munitions and it is a decision that allies will make. And Germany, which has signed the ban treaty, said it won’t provide the bombs to Ukraine, but expressed understanding for the American position.

“We’re certain that our U.S. friends didn’t take the decision about supplying such ammunition lightly,” German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told reporters in Berlin. “We need to remember once again that Russia has already used cluster ammunition at a large scale in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Oleksandra Ustinova, a member of Ukraine’s parliament who has been advocating that Washington send more weapons, noted that Ukrainian forces have had to disable mines from much of the territory they are winning back from Russia. As part of that process, Ukrainians will also be able to catch any unexploded ordnance from cluster munitions.

The last large-scale American use of cluster bombs was during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, according to the Pentagon. But U.S. forces considered them a key weapon during the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, according to Human Rights Watch. In the first three years of that conflict, it is estimated the U.S.-led coalition dropped more than 1,500 cluster bombs in Afghanistan.

____

AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee and Associated Press writers Geir Moulson, Ellen Knickmeyer, Lorne Cook, Nomaan Merchant and Frank Jordans contributed to this report.

By DOUG FEINBERG (AP Basketball Writer)

Two-time Olympic gold-medalist and former Tennessee star Nikki McCray-Penson has died. She was 51.

McCray-Penson was an assistant women’s basketball coach at Rutgers last season and the school on Friday confirmed her death. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013.

She joined coach Dawn Staley as an assistant at South Carolina from 2008-17. She was part of the Gamecocks’ first national championship in 2017. They were gold-medal teammates at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympics.

“It’s hard to think about Nikki’s passing because all I can see is how fully she lived,” Staley said in a statement. “From her days as a brash rookie in USA Basketball to becoming my friend and colleague to the way she mentored young players, Nikki did everything with her whole heart. … she had such light, such positive energy inside her no matter what was going on. I am heartbroken that cancer has taken that light from us, but I know that she would want us to be the ones to carry it on in her absence.”

McCray-Penson played at Tennessee from 1991-95 under Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt. The point guard was a two-time SEC Player of the Year and a two-time Kodak All-America standout during her junior and senior seasons for the Lady Vols. The team reached the Final Four in 1995, losing in the championship game to undefeated Connecticut.

The 1996 U.S. Olympic team sparked the formation of the WNBA and ABL (American Basketball League 1996-98). She won MVP honors in 1997 while leading the ABL’s Columbus Quest to a championship before heading over to the WNBA. McCray-Penson was a three-time All-Star in that league while playing for the Washington Mystics.

She played until 2006 when she retired, with a stop in San Antonio along the way.

“She’s a competitor,” said New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello, who coached her in San Antonio and played against her on the Australian Olympic team. “She just got out there and did it to the best of her ability. That’s really sad and tragic. Prayers go out to her family.”

McCray-Penson began her 16-year coaching career as an assistant at Western Kentucky for three seasons from 2006-2008. After South Carolina won the NCAA title, she became the head coach at Old Dominion in 2017, going 24-6 in 2020.

She spent one year at Mississippi State before stepping down for health reasons and returned as an assistant under coach Coquese Washington at Rutgers last season.

“Nikki had a big smile and an even bigger heart,” Washington said. “She was full of life, energy, and was so much fun to be around. Nikki touched the lives of many because she made it her mission to uplift others and help them achieve whatever dreams and goals they expressed.”

McCray-Penson was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. She is survived by her husband Thomas and son Thomas Jr.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

By MORGAN LEE and PAUL J. WEBER (Associated Press)

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A white gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack on Hispanic shoppers at a Walmart in a Texas border city was sentenced Friday to 90 consecutive life sentences but could still face more punishment, including the death penalty.

Patrick Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty earlier this year to nearly 50 federal hate crime charges in the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, making it one of the U.S. government’s largest hate crime cases.

Crusius, wearing a jumpsuit and shackles, did not speak during the hearing and showed no reaction as the sentence was read. U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama recommended that Crusius serve his sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado.

Crusius still faces a separate trial in a Texas court that could end with him getting the death penalty for carrying out one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.

As Crusius was led from the courtroom, the son of one of the victims shouted at him from the galley.

“We’ll be seeing you again, coward,” yelled Dean Reckard, whose mother, Margie Reckard, was slain in the attack. “No apologies, no nothing.”

Police say Crusius drove more than 700 miles from his home near Dallas to target Hispanics with an AK-style rifle inside and outside the store. Moments before the attack began, Crusius posted a racist screed online that warned of a Hispanic “invasion” of Texas.

In the years since the shooting, Republicans have described migrants crossing the southern U.S. border as an “invasion,” waving off critics who say the rhetoric fuels anti-immigrant views and violence.

Crusius pleaded guilty in February after federal prosecutors took the death penalty off the table. But Texas prosecutors have said they will try to put Crusius on death row when he stands trial in state court. That trial date has not yet been set.

Joe Spencer, Crusius’ attorney, told the judge before the sentencing that his client has a “broken brain.”

“Patrick’s thinking is at odds with reality … resulting in delusional thinking,” Spencer said.

Crusius became alarmed by his own violent thoughts, Spencer said, and he once left a job at a movie theater because of them. He said Crusius once searched online to look for ways to address his mental health, and he dropped out of a community college near Dallas because of his struggles.

Spencer said Crusius had arrived in El Paso without a specific target in mind before winding up at the Walmart.

“Patrick acted with his broken brain cemented in delusions,” Spencer said.

The sentencing in El Paso followed two days of impact statements from relatives of the victims, including citizens of Mexico and a German national. In addition to the dead, more than two dozen people were injured and numerous others were severely traumatized as they hid or fled.

One by one, family members used their first opportunity since the shooting to directly address Crusius, describing how their lives have been upended by grief and pain. Some forgave Crusius. One man displayed photographs of his slain father and insisted that the gunman look at them.

Bertha Benavides’ husband of 34 years, Arturo, was among those killed.

“You left children without their parents, you left spouses without their spouses, and we still need them,” she told Crusius.

Crusius’ family did not appear in the courtroom during the sentencing phase.

The attack was the deadliest of a dozen mass shootings in the U.S. linked to hate crimes since 2006, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.

Before the shooting, Crusius had appeared consumed by the nation’s immigration debate, tweeting #BuildtheWall and posts that praised then-President Donald Trump’s hardline border policies. He went further in his rant posted before the attack, sounding warnings that Hispanics were going to take over the government and economy.

Ian Hanna, an assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted the government’s case, said Crusius had embraced the “insidious lie” that America only belonged to white people.

“He wanted to eliminate a class of people,” Hanna said. “It was a strike at the very essence of what makes this community so special.”

Amaris Vega’s aunt was killed in the attack and her mother narrowly survived a softball-sized wound to the chest. In court, Vega railed at Crusius’ “pathetic, sorry manifesto” that promised to rid Texas of Hispanics.

“But guess what? You didn’t. You failed,” she told him in court Thursday. “We are still here and we are not going anywhere. And for four years you have been stuck in a city full of Hispanics. … So let that sink in.”

The people who were killed ranged in age from a 15-year-old high school athlete to several elderly grandparents. They included immigrants, a retired city bus driver, teachers, tradesmen including a former iron worker, and several Mexican nationals who had crossed the U.S. border on routine shopping trips.

Two teenage girls recounted their narrow escape from Crusius’ rampage as they participated in a fundraiser for their youth soccer team outside the store and said they are still fearful in public.

Margaret Juarez, whose 90-year-old father was slain in the attack and whose mother was wounded but survived, said she found it ironic that Crusius will spend his life in prison among inmates from racial and ethnic minorities. Others in the courtroom applauded as she celebrated their liberty.

“Swim in the waters of prison,” she told Crusius. “Now we’re going to enjoy the sunshine. … We still have our freedom, in our country.”

___

Weber reported from Austin.

By MORGAN LEE and PAUL J. WEBER (Associated Press)

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A white gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack on Hispanic shoppers at a Walmart in a Texas border city was sentenced Friday to 90 consecutive life sentences but could still face more punishment, including the death penalty.

Patrick Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty earlier this year to nearly 50 federal hate crime charges in the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, making it one of the U.S. government’s largest hate crime cases.

Crusius, wearing a jumpsuit and shackles, did not speak during the hearing and showed no reaction as the verdict was read. The judge recommended that Crusius serve his sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado.

Police say Crusius drove more than 700 miles from his home near Dallas to target Hispanics with an AK-style rifle inside and outside the store. Moments before the attack began, Crusius posted a racist screed online that warned of a Hispanic “invasion” of Texas.

In the years since the shooting, Republicans have described migrants crossing the southern U.S. border as an “invasion,” waving off critics who say the rhetoric fuels anti-immigrant views and violence.

Crusius pleaded guilty in February after federal prosecutors took the death penalty off the table. But Texas prosecutors have said they will try to put Crusius on death row when he stands trial in state court. That trial date has not yet been set.

As he was led from the courtroom, a family member of one of the victims shouted at Crusius from the gallery.

“We’ll be seeing you again, coward. No apologies, no nothing.”

Joe Spencer, Crusius’ attorney, told the judge before the sentencing that his client had a “broken brain.”

“Patrick’s thinking is at odds with reality … resulting in delusional thinking,” Spencer told the court.

Crusius became alarmed by his own violent thoughts, including once leaving a job at a movie theater because of those thoughts, Spencer said. He said Crusius once searched online to look for ways to address his mental health and dropped out of a community college near Dallas because of his struggles.

Spencer said that Crusius had arrived in El Paso without a specific target in mind before winding up at the Walmart.

“Patrick acted with his broken brain cemented in delusions,” Spencer said.

The sentencing by U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama in El Paso followed two days of impact statements from relatives of the victims, including citizens of Mexico. In addition to the dead, more than two dozen people were injured and numerous others were severely traumatized as they hid or fled.

One by one, family members used their first opportunity since the shooting to directly address Crusius, describing how their lives have been upended by grief and pain. Some forgave Crusius. One man displayed photographs of his slain father, insisting that the gunman look at them.

Bertha Benavides’ husband of 34 years, Arturo, was among those killed.

“You left children without their parents, you left spouses without their spouses, and we still need them,” she told Crusius.

During the initial statements from victims, Crusius occasionally swiveled in his seat or bobbed his head with little sign of emotion. On Thursday, his eyes appeared to well up as victims condemned the brutality of the shootings and demanded Crusius respond and account for his actions. At one point, Crusius consulted with a defense attorney at his side and gestured that he would not answer.

Crusius’ family did not appear in the courtroom during the sentencing phase.

The attack was the deadliest of a dozen mass shootings in the U.S. linked to hate crimes since 2006, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.

Before the shooting, Crusius had appeared consumed by the nation’s immigration debate, tweeting #BuildtheWall and posts that praised then-President Donald Trump’s hardline border policies. He went further in his rant posted before the attack, sounding warnings that Hispanics were going to take over the government and economy.

As the sentencing phase got underway, some advocates for immigrant rights made new appeals for politicians to soften their rhetoric on immigration. Republicans, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, have pushed for more aggressive actions to harden the southern U.S. border.

Amaris Vega’s aunt was killed in the attack and her mother narrowly survived a softball-sized wound to the chest. In court, Vega railed at Crusius’ “pathetic, sorry manifesto” that promised to rid Texas of Hispanics.

“But guess what? You didn’t. You failed,” she told him. “We are still here and we are not going anywhere. And for four years you have been stuck in a city full of Hispanics. … So let that sink in.”

Margaret Juarez, whose 90-year-old father was slain in the attack and whose mother was wounded but survived, said she found it ironic that Crusius was set to spend his life in prison among inmates from racial and ethnic minorities. Other relatives and survivors in the courtroom applauded as she celebrated their liberty.

“Swim in the waters of prison,” she told Crusius. “Now we’re going to enjoy the sunshine. … We still have our freedom, in our country.”

The people who were killed ranged in age from a 15-year-old high school athlete to several elderly grandparents. They included immigrants, a retired city bus driver, teachers, tradesmen including a former iron worker, and several Mexican nationals who had crossed the U.S. border on routine shopping trips.

Two teenage girls recounted their narrow escape from Crusius’ rampage as they participated in a fundraiser for their youth soccer team outside the store. Parents were wounded and the soccer coach, Guillermo Garcia, died months later from injuries in the attack.

Both youths said they still are haunted by their fear of another shooting when they are in public venues.

“He was shot at close range by a coward and there was his innocent blood, everywhere,” said Kathleen Johnson, whose husband David was among the victims. “I don’t know when I’ll be the same. … The pain you have caused is indescribable.”

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Weber reported from Austin.

One of the nice things about holiday road races is the chance to catch up with some of the great runners from the past. This year, readers of this running column know plenty about Roger, Adam, Emily, Bethany and Isabella. But the last time we heard about 2022 Jamestown High grad Caroline Bauer, the greatest high school distance runner in Peninsula history, was last Thanksgiving at the Blue Talon Bistro Turkey Trot 5K.

But after completing her freshman year at the University of Florida, Bauer showed up this past Tuesday at another holiday race, the Yorktown Independence Day 8K run and 5K fun run, which benefited the York County Historical Museum. Chip timing was by Colonial Sports, with race-day organizational coordination by Jim and Geri Elder.

York High was the parking and packet pickup location, with the adjacent Yorktown Battlefield tour roads the location for the actual races. The 8K started at the Route 17 underpass, with the finish at Surrender Field, after completing a large clockwise loop of the scenic tour roads, then returning via Surrender Road after a half-mile stretch through a wooded dirt path and grassy meadow. The 5K fun run was a simple out-and-back of the first 1.55 miles of the 8K course.

The York County Historical Museum gave awards in the 8K to the top three men and women overall, but did not give any age group awards, but everyone did receive a race T-shirt and a diecast finisher medal. Results for all 8K finishers were provided by Colonial Sports, and were broken down by age groups. The 5K fun run was unusual, as there were no bib numbers, awards or timing, just a finisher coin and a digital clock at the finish line. All in both races did get refreshments (bananas, bagels, granola bars and water) and the historic-themed race T-shirt.

Caroline Bauer, 19, of Williamsburg easily won the women’s race in 29:38 for the 4.97-mile distance (5:58 pace per mile), and was the third finisher overall. About a minute behind for the women was Sabrina Little, 36, of Newport News in 30:32 (fourth overall), then a large gap to the next five women, all within 1 minute, 20 seconds—Deelyn Robinson, 57, of Williamsburg (36:12), Aimee Gianoukos, 47, of Williamsburg (36:50), Laura Turner, 32, of Newport News (37:15), Chloe Etzinger, 16, of Carey, Ohio (37:29) and Svitlana Honcharova, 25, of Williamsburg (37:32).

For the men, the top three award winners were Caleb Doan, 33, of Grand Rapids, Mich. (27:12), Eli McWard, 17, of Prosper, Texas (29:26) and Tim Suhr, 52, of Williamsburg (32:32). Following were Xander Holmes, 16, of Raleigh, N.C. (32:48), Kelvin Anderson, 62, of Newport News (33:07), James Gunson, 56, of Richmond (33:09), James Roberts, 14, of Yorktown (33:26), Joe Calkins, 52, of Lanexa (33:42) and Nicholas Felsman, 17, of Williamsburg (33:53).

Despite her fast sub-30-minute time, Bauer was just taking it easy, and hardly broke a sweat. She emailed, “My coach and I decided that I was going to run this race like a tempo run. I went out nice and relaxed and then was able to descend my pace each mile from there. It was a beautiful course and so much fun to run on the historic battlefield of the Battle of Yorktown. It was great to see all the locals out running on the 4th of July. My friend, Eli, placed 2nd and we ran a lot of the race together. I’m so glad that he decided to do the race with me. We both decided that we were going to run it for fun and see how we did. I did not get back to Williamsburg from Florida until about mid-June. Living in Florida for a whole year, though, I am very used to this hot and humid weather. I thrive in this environment so I am thankful that we have weather like this!”

About her collegiate year, Bauer emailed, “I had a great first year at the University of Florida. I love Florida and everything about it. A highlight of my first cross country season as a Gator was the opportunity to compete at SECs and NCAA regionals. Indoor track was a fun experience but I unfortunately got a minor injury in the middle of the season, but have been able to bounce back quickly. Indoor track season also brought a new transition when Coach [Chris] Solinsky [the former distance coach at William and Mary, before going to Florida] left. But we were able to bring in the Palmers from the University of Alabama. They have been great coaches. I love their coaching style and training program. I am really thankful for the opportunity to run for them and for the Gators. I can’t wait to get back to racing this fall!”

The men’s winner, although now from Michigan, was also a Hampton Roads area runner. Caleb Doan ran for Mike Nestor at Ocean Lakes High in Virginia Beach, and is the son of long-time elite road racer Lanny Doan. All three ran the 8K on Tuesday. Lanny loves the tour road races, and still holds the men’s 40-44 age group record for the Yorktown Battlefield 10-mile run with a blazing 52:31, set in 1996 at age 40 (5:15 per mile pace). He was inducted into the Tidewater Striders Hall of Fame. Now with two total knee replacements, and age 66, the former Bayside High coach still was able to win the 65-69 age group in 39:24 (7:55 mile pace). Caleb’s former coach Nestor, 53, of Virginia Beach, ran a 36:45 time.

In Caleb’s senior year, he was all-state in the 3,200 meters and the 4×800-meter relay for Ocean Lakes High. At the University of Virginia, he ran on the club cross country team, which placed third as a team in the NIRCA National Cross Country meet, and he had an 8K PR of 25:52. After college, he worked for a year at the Running Etc. running shoe store, then went to LSU for graduate school in English, earning his PhD in 2020. He is now an English professor at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. He had also won the July 4 Yorktown 8K in 2012 with a time of 25:38, placed second in the Grand Rapids Marathon in 2021 (2:35:49) and won the Jazz Half Marathon in New Orleans in 2018 (a PR 1:10:19). Caleb emailed, “All my Louisiana heat and humidity training has faded away in Michigan. I went out too hard, but still enjoyed the course, especially those great downhills.”

The two Williamsburg runners who placed third overall, also were not enamored with the heat and humidity, and sunny conditions. Deelyn Robinson emailed, “This race was particularly challenging for everyone because of the heat and high humidity. I have not raced in several weeks so that made for an extra challenge as well. Caroline Bauer and Sabrina Little are exceptional runners and set a great pace. I am thrilled to have placed third behind them. Aimee Gianoukos and Svitlana Honcharova ran great races as well. Overall a great and challenging race.”

Tim Suhr emailed, “The race was the hottest race that I’ve run in quite some time and I felt like I was going to die most of the race. So I have definitely not acclimated to the humidity and heat, but of course it was beautiful and I had a lot of fun. During the race I wasn’t really sure what place I was in. At the awards ceremony, I had no clue when they announced me as third place. They gave me a nice glass with laser engraving on it.”

After a relatively cool May and June, summer has finally hit with a vengeance. The previous race on the same course, the Peninsula Track Club’s Yorktown Freedom Run 8K on Memorial Day, had much better conditions. Adam Otstot won for the men in 26:51, and Bethany Spector set a women’s course record of 30:15. Sabrina Little was second in that race in 30:58, so improved by 26 seconds this past Tuesday, despite much tougher racing conditions. That Spector has the Memorial Day 8K course record of 30:15, compared to Bauer’s 29:38 this past Tuesday, shows how talented Bauer is, considering it was just a “tempo run workout” for her.

Rick Platt is president of Colonial Road Runners.