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A white聽gunman who killed 23 people聽in a racist attack on Hispanic shoppers at a Walmart in a Texas border city was sentenced Friday to 90 consecutive life sentences but could still face more punishment, including the death penalty.

Patrick Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty earlier this year to nearly 50 federal hate crime charges in the 2019 mass shooting in聽El Paso,聽making it one of the United States鈥� largest hate crime cases.

Mr. Crusius, wearing a jumpsuit and shackles, did not speak during the hearing and showed no reaction as the verdict was read. U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama recommended that Mr. Crusius serve his sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado.

Mr. Crusius still faces a separate trial in a Texas court that could end with him getting the death penalty for carrying out one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.

鈥淲e鈥檒l be seeing you again, coward,鈥� a family member of one of the victims shouted from the gallery as Mr. Crusius was led from the courtroom. 鈥淣o apologies, no nothing.鈥�

Police say Mr. Crusius drove more than 700 miles from his home near Dallas to target Hispanics with an AK-style rifle inside and outside the store. Moments before the attack began, Mr. Crusius posted a racist screed online that warned of a Hispanic 鈥渋nvasion鈥� of Texas.

In the years since the shooting, Republicans have described migrants crossing the southern U.S. border as an 鈥渋nvasion,鈥� waving off critics who say the rhetoric fuels anti-immigrant views and violence.

Mr. Crusius聽pleaded guilty in February聽after federal prosecutors took the death penalty off the table. But Texas prosecutors have said they will try to put Mr. Crusius on death row when he stands trial in state court. That trial date has not yet been set.

Joe Spencer, Mr. Crusius鈥� attorney, told the judge before the sentencing that his client has a 鈥渂roken brain.鈥�

鈥淧atrick鈥檚 thinking is at odds with reality 鈥� resulting in delusional thinking,鈥� Mr. Spencer said.

Mr. Crusius became alarmed by his own violent thoughts, Mr. Spencer said, including once leaving a job at a movie theater because of those thoughts. He said Mr. Crusius once searched online to look for ways to address his mental health and dropped out of a community college near Dallas because of his struggles.

Mr. Spencer said Mr. Crusius had arrived in El Paso without a specific target in mind before winding up at Walmart.

鈥淧atrick acted with his broken brain cemented in delusions,鈥� Mr. Spencer said.

The sentencing in El Paso followed two days of impact statements from relatives of the victims, including citizens of Mexico and a German national. In addition to the dead, more than two dozen people were injured and numerous others were severely traumatized as they hid or fled.

One by one, family members used their first opportunity since the shooting to directly address Mr. Crusius, describing how their lives have been upended by grief and pain. Some forgave Mr. Crusius. One man displayed photographs of his slain father and insisted that the gunman look at them.

Bertha Benavides鈥� husband of 34 years, Arturo, was among those killed.

鈥淵ou left children without their parents, you left spouses without their spouses, and we still need them,鈥� she told Mr. Crusius.

During the initial statements from victims, Mr. Crusius occasionally swiveled in his seat or bobbed his head with little sign of emotion. On Thursday, his eyes appeared to well up as victims condemned the brutality of the shootings and demanded Mr. Crusius respond and account for his actions. At one point, Mr. Crusius consulted with a defense attorney at his side and gestured that he would not answer.

Mr. Crusius鈥� family did not appear in the courtroom during the sentencing phase.

The attack was the deadliest of a dozen mass shootings in the U.S. linked to hate crimes since 2006, according to a聽database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today, and Northeastern University.

Before the shooting, Mr. Crusius had appeared consumed by the nation鈥檚 immigration debate, tweeting #BuildtheWall and posts that praised then-President Donald Trump鈥檚 hardline border policies. He went further in his rant posted before the attack, sounding warnings that Hispanics were going to take over the government and economy.

As the sentencing phase got underway, some advocates for immigrant rights made new appeals for politicians to soften their rhetoric on immigration. Republicans, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, have pushed for more aggressive actions to harden the southern U.S. border.

Ian Hanna, an assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted the government鈥檚 case, said Mr. Crusius had embraced the 鈥渋nsidious lie鈥� that America only belonged to white people.

鈥淗e wanted to eliminate a class of people,鈥� Mr. Hanna said. 鈥淚t was a strike at the very essence of what makes this community so special.鈥�

Amaris Vega鈥檚 aunt was killed in the attack and her mother narrowly survived. In court, Ms. Vega railed at Mr. Crusius鈥� 鈥減athetic, sorry manifesto鈥� that promised to rid Texas of Hispanics.

鈥淏ut guess what? You didn鈥檛. You failed,鈥� she told him. 鈥淲e are still here and we are not going anywhere. And for four years you have been stuck in a city full of Hispanics. ... So let that sink in.鈥�

Margaret Juarez, whose 90-year-old father was slain in the attack and whose mother was wounded but survived, said she found it ironic that Mr. Crusius was set to spend his life in prison among inmates from racial and ethnic minorities. Others in the courtroom applauded as she celebrated their liberty.

鈥淪wim in the waters of prison,鈥� she told Mr. Crusius. 鈥淣ow we鈥檙e going to enjoy the sunshine. 鈥� We still have our freedom, in our country.鈥�

The people who were killed ranged in age from a 15-year-old high school athlete to several elderly grandparents. They included immigrants, a retired city bus driver, teachers, tradesmen including a former iron worker, and several Mexican nationals who had crossed the U.S. border on routine shopping trips.

Two teenage girls recounted their narrow escape from Mr. Crusius鈥� rampage as they participated in a fundraiser for their youth soccer team outside the store and said they are still fearful in public. Parents were wounded and the soccer coach, Guillermo Garcia, died months later from injuries in the attack.

鈥淗e was shot at close range by a coward and there was his innocent blood, everywhere,鈥� said Kathleen Johnson, whose husband David was among the victims. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know when I鈥檒l be the same. 鈥� The pain you have caused is indescribable.鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press. Paul J. Weber reported from Austin, Texas.