Authorities dispute claims of El Paso victim who said he threw soda bottles at shooter

DALLAS >> A victim’s account of throwing soda bottles at the El Paso shooter amid the chaos in Walmart on Aug. 3 is not accurate, authorities say.

This week, El Paso police officials disputed the story told by Chris Grant, who gave interviews from his hospital bed while recovering. The mass shooting left 22 people dead and dozens more injured. Patrick Crusius, an avowed white supremacist from Allen, was formally indicted Thursday in the killings.

On Monday, Grant was one of several El Paso victims who were honored with certificates of commendation at the White House. His mom, Minnie Grant, accepted the commendation on his behalf.

Authorities sought to correct the record on Grant’s actions after being contacted by a reporter.

Sgt. Enrique Carillo, a spokesman with the police department, said the department was “not demeaning his reaction” but said his story of heroism was an “inaccurate account.”

“The video evidence of the scene does not support Mr. Grant’s assertions. His actions were captured by surveillance cameras and they are not as described by Mr. Grant,” Carillo said in a statement.

Grant did not respond to a phone call seeking comment.

In an interview with The Dallas Morning News days after the shooting, Grant’s family said he told them he tried to fight back against the shooter with soda bottles. That morning he had gone to Walmart with his mother to get groceries for his children, who were flying in.

Grant got separated from his mother moments before the shooting happened. Minnie Grant said he was shot in the rib cage and kidney and sedated in the intensive care unit for days.

His mother said when he woke up he struggled more with his emotional wounds, as he had flashbacks of the bloodshed. He was traumatized from seeing a teenager who was shot in the head, she said.

“He opens up and talks about it. How unfair it was and how he’s not supposed to be here,” she said.