MIDLAND, Texas (AP) – At least five people were dead in West Texas after a man who was stopped by state troopers when his vehicle failed to signal a left turn opened fire and fled, shooting more than 20 people as he drove before he was killed by officers outside a movie theater, authorities said.
The shooting began Saturday afternoon with an interstate traffic stop where gunfire was exchanged with police, setting off a chaotic rampage during which the suspect hijacked a mail carrier truck and began firing at random as he drove in the area of Odessa and Midland, two cities in the heart of Texas oil country more than 483 kilometers west of Dallas.
Police initially reported that there could be more than one shooter, but Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke later said there was only one.
“The suspect continued shooting at innocent civilians all over Odessa,” a statement from Odessa police said.
Gerke described the suspect as a white male in his 30s. He did not name him or a motive but said he has some idea who the gunman is.
The terrifying chain of events began when Texas state troopers tried pulling over a gold car mid-Saturday afternoon on Interstate 20 for failing to signal a left turn, Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger said.
Before the vehicle came to a complete stop, the driver “pointed a rifle toward the rear window of his car and fired several shots” toward the patrol car stopping him.
The gunshots struck one of two troopers inside the patrol car, Cesinger said, after which the gunman fled and continued shooting, including two other police officers. The condition of the three law enforcement officers injured was not immediately released.
Gerke said that in addition to the injured officers, there were at least 21 civilian shooting victims. He said at least five people died. He did not say whether or not the shooter was included among those five dead, and it was not clear whether he was including the five dead among the at least 21 civilian shooting victims.
Shauna Saxton was one of the terrified drivers who said she was a target during his rampage. She was driving with her husband and grandson in Odessa and had paused at a stoplight when they heard loud pops.
