American punk rock band Blink-182 has postponed its Sunday show at UTEP Don Haskins Arena in El Paso, Texas, "in solidarity with the community" following a mass shooting that claimed 20 lives on Saturday. The announcement was made on the band's official Twitter account.
The band's bassist and co-lead vocalist Mark Hoppus earlier tweeted that they "are locked down" in their hotel in El Paso due to an active shooter situation in the Cielo Vista mall, where they were headed to.
Social media users thanked the band for showing solidarity with the victims and expressed hope that they'd be back soon:
Others were a bit disappointed as they thought Blink-182 would perform to "lift up" people's spirits:
On 3 August, a gunman, identified as 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, opened fire at Walmart in the Cielo Vista shopping mall in El Paso, killing 20 people and injuring many others. The suspect, who is currently in police custody, used an AK-style assault rifle and ear protection headphones during the shooting.
Crusius reportedly published a manifesto, in which he supported the Christchurch massacre in March, and slammed the government for failing to solve the immigration issue. He purportedly wrote that he went on a shooting rampage because of his fear of the growing Hispanic population due to illegal immigration. The authenticity of the manifesto is yet to be verified.