At least 20 people were killed and many injured in a mass shooting at Walmart store in the US city of El Paso late on Saturday, according to Texas Governor Greg Abbot.

The massacre happened at a Walmart store near the Cielo Vista Mall, a few miles from the US-Mexico border, the BBC reported.

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During a press briefing, Greg Abbot said, “On a day that would have been a normal day for someone to leisurely go shopping, it turned into one of the most deadly days in the history of Texas”.

El Paso police chief Greg Allen said that the authorities had a manifesto from the suspect that indicates, there is a potential nexus to a hate crime.

However, investigating officers did not give any more details regarding the case.

According to the CCTV footage, the gunman was wearing a dark T-shirt with ear protectors and brandishing an assault-style rifle.

The suspect has been named by the US media as Patrick Crusius, a resident of the Dallas area.

Police spokesman Sergeant Robert Gomez said,”We have secured Walmart and we have secured Cielo Vista Mall. We don’t feel that there is a threat to the public or that there are any other shooters at this time”.

One of the witnesses, Glendon Oakly, said that he was in a sporting goods store inside the shopping centre when a child ran inside “telling us there’s an active shooter at Walmart”.

US President Donald Trump has condemned the mass shooting incident at a Walmart store in Texas and called it an act of cowardice.

Trump said that there is no justification for the killing of innocent people.

“There are no reasons or excuses that will even justify the killing of innocent people”, he added.

“Today’s shooting in El Paso, Texas was not only tragic, it was an act of cowardice,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

University Medical Center of El Paso received 13 patients, including one who died, hospital spokesperson Ryan Mielke said.

Some of the patients were in surgery while others were in stable condition, he added.