North Texas man sentenced to 37 years in prison for anti-Muslim shooting

DALLAS - A North Texas man was sentenced to 37 years in prison after pleading guilty to hate crime charges in a deadly shooting at a car repair shop.

Last year, 39-year-old Anthony Paz Torres pleaded guilty to five federal hate crime counts in connection to the shooting at Omar Wheels and Tires in Pleasant Grove on Christmas Eve 2015.

Anthony Torres

Investigators say Torres targeted the business because it was a Muslim-owned business.

Days before the shooting, he made anti-Muslim comments and promised to come back.

Prosecutors said Torres was targeting Muslims in retaliation for ISIS-related attacks in Garland and California.

When he returned to the business, he asked customers if they were Muslim before opening fire. One person was killed, and three others were injured. He attempted to shoot a fourth person as well.

"No person in this country should have to live in fear because of who they are, what they look like, or how they pray," said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a statement after the sentence was handed down.

Torres also pleaded guilty to one count of using a firearm to commit murder.

He will be credited for time served in state custody.

Torres is already serving a 35-year sentence on state murder charges.