Five people have died and over 20 were shot as a gunman went on a shooting rampage in the area of Midland and Odessa, Texas, after an officer attempted to pull his vehicle over for a traffic stop.
How it unfolded
The incident began unravelling at 3:17 pm local time on Saturday, when a state trooper attempted to stop a man driving a gold Honda at the interstate linking Midland to Odessa. The reason that prompted law enforcement to stop the car in the first place was rather innocuous – the driver was about to be admonished for failing to signal a left turn, according to police, as cited by AP.
As the Department of Public Safety (DPS) unit got the car pulled over, the driver opened fire from its rear window, injuring one trooper, and proceeded moving towards Odessa while shooting at motorists at random.
At some point, the gunman decided to change gears and hijacked a postal van from which he continued his shooting spree, sparking a car chase. It came to the showdown between the attacker and police near the Cinergy movie theater at the Music City Mall in Odessa. Videos filmed by witnesses at the scene show the attacker’s truck mounting a curb and police then shooting at the suspect. The arrival of police and them engaging the suspect triggered panic among cinema-goes and shoppers, who fled in disarray leaving shoes and other personal items unattended.
Police later confirmed that the attacker was killed on the spot.
The gunman
Little is known about the identity of the gunman and his motives. Odessa police Chief Michael Gerke told a news conference that the suspect had been identified as a white male in his mid-thirties. While police said that they “have an idea” about the identity of the shooter, they refused to release any more details until they double-check the information.
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As first reports about the carnage started coming in, there was some confusion as to the number of the attackers, with police initially saying there were two cars with two suspects. However, police later confirmed that there was only one gunman, who jumped cars.
The victims
At least 21 civilians have suffered gunshot wounds in the rampage, and three law enforcement officers, a DPS trooper in Midland County, a Midland PD officer and an Odessa PD officer, were injured. Five people have been killed. It’s unclear at the moment if the five people who had died are among the 21 injured civilians.
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