UPDATE (4:15 p.m. EST):
Police believe there was only one suspect in the shooting, despite initial reports that there were two shooters.
“Initially it was thought that there may have been multiple shooters, and that is because at some point this subject changed vehicles. We’re now confident that there was just the one actor," Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said during a Sunday press conference.
The FBI has no reason to believe this was linked to terrorism.
“At this point I can tell you we do not believe — we do not believe, there's any connection to any domestic or international terrorism,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs said.
According to CNN, the shooter has been identified as 36-year-old Seth Ator. He used an "AR-style weapon" during the attack.
About his criminal record (from CNN):
Ator, 36, was arrested in 2001 for criminal trespassing and evading arrest, both misdemeanors, according to public records. Adjudication was deferred, though the details of the case are not immediately available.
Ator’s record also includes a 2018 traffic citation for a federal motor carrier safety violation, according to Ector County court records.
ORIGINAL POST:
Saturday night's tragic shooting in Odessa and Midland, Texas began when Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Troopers attempted to make a routine traffic stop. The gunman pulled out a rifle, pointed it towards his rear window and fired at the two troopers. One trooper was shot.
The gunman fled the scene and continued shooting at innocent bystanders. He shot at civilians along East Loop 338 and I-20 before stealing a U.S. Postal Service truck. He then used the USPS truck to carry out his rampage along State Highway 191, KOSA-TV reported. The shooting eventually ended at the Cinergy Movie Theater when the gunman shot at two police officers, one from the Odessa Police Department, the other from the Midland Police Department. Police returned fire and killed the suspect.
According to a statement from DPS, the trooper is in serious but stable condition. The two officers are stable.
The death toll has risen to seven, with one of the victims being a 17-month-old baby. Another 21 have been injured, KWTX-TV reported.
Multiple hospitals treated the wounded (from KOSA-TV):
14 victims were taken to Medical Center Hospital for treatment. One of the victims passed away at the hospital. 17-month-old Anderson Davis was transferred to a Lubbock hospital for treatment.
Of the remaining victims, one person is in critical condition, three people are in serious condition and seven people are in fair condition.
One person has been treated and released.
MCH states that its blood supply is okay.
The Odessa Regional Medical Center treated a total of six victims. Four have been released from the hospital while two remain in critical condition.
Authorities have not released the gunman's identity but Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke described the shooter as a white male in his 30s.
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