Five dead, 21 injured in Texas shooting

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — Five people are dead and at least 21 others are injured in west Texas after a shooting on Saturday in the area of Midland and Odessa.

Midland police said the suspect was shot and killed near the Cinergy movie theater in Odessa.

“There is no active shooter at this time. All agencies are investigating reports of possible suspects,” read a Facebook post from the Midland Police Department. Originally it was believed there were two suspects working in tandem, but police now believe it was a single shooter and the situation has been contained.

“Once this individual was taken out of the picture, there have been no more victims,” Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said.

Police say it all started a traffic stop during which the suspect shot the officer who pulled him over and then took off. The suspect, which police describe as a white man in his 30s, then hijacked a U.S. Postal Service vehicle and fired at random, hitting multiple people, Odessa police said.

The switch in vehicles appears to have lead to confusion over the number of suspects.

There’s no word on the condition of any of the victims or that of the postal worker who was using the USPS van when it was taken.

Three officers are among the 21 injured in the shooting.

Odessa and Midland, which are home to over 251,000 people combined, are both about 500 kilometres west of Dallas.

The shooting comes just weeks after a gunman in the El Paso killed 22 people after opening fire at a Walmart.

READ MORE: Students, parents, friends among the dead in shootings

The Texas governor said he is heartbroken over the “senseless and cowardly” attack and he’s offering “unwavering support” to the victims, their families, and all the people in Midland and Odessa.

“I want to remind all Texans that we will not allow the Lone Star State to be overrun by hatred and violence. We will unite, as Texans always do, to respond to this tragedy,” said Governor Greg Abbott in a statement, which also thanks first responders for their swift actions.

He’ll be heading to the area Sunday morning.

Abbott this week held two meetings with lawmakers about how to prevent mass more shootings in Texas.

During those meetings, Abbott suggested tightening gun laws but Texas’ muscular gun-rights lobby immediately pushed back.

Gun rights activists say they’ll resist calls to tighten gun laws and they were surprised when Abbott raised alarms about who is buying and selling firearms in unregulated private gun sales.

Meantime, gun laws in Texas restricting where you can carry a firearm are being lifted Sunday.

People with licensed weapons will be able to take them where they previously were not able to, including places of worship, foster homes, and on school properties, according to the NRA.

The new legislation, which was passed earlier this year, also disallows anti-firearm clauses in residential leases and prevents any property owners’ associations from prohibiting someone from possessing, carrying, or storing a firearm.