Cielo Vista mall, I know it, there wasn't a Walmart by it back then. We will see, it was their best mall back then, multiple floors, fountains and some Spanish painted floor tiles.
I lived in what was then the Viva Apartments, just north of Cielo Vista Mall. From google, the name has been changed to La Estancia.
My grandson and his dad are driving through EP enroute to Phoenix. Thankfully, they passed through about an hour before the shooting.
Way O/T, but it's crazy how things work out...my last battalion commander in Germany thought he was going to retire after that assignment. While turning a C-3 battalion into a C-1, he ended up on the Colonel's list, and ended up at Fort Bliss at a high visibility directorate.
One fateful Saturday summer morning, I walked out to my car. There was a 3x5 card on my windshield, and I immediately recognized the initials. It said, "come see me", with his apartment number.
He offered me a job as his Operations Officer after I finished the Captains course, and I immediately accepted. Shortly after, my future bride would come to work in my section.
I loved the 15 years I lived in El Paso, and today's events leave me deeply saddened.