UPDATE: Two law enforcement officials identified the shooter as Seth Ator, who records show is 36 years old. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
September 1, 2019 The acting U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary called Saturday’s mass shooting in West Texas that left at seven people dead “extraordinarily concerning”and described it and other recent mass shootings as a “homeland security threat.”
The Associated Press reports that DHS acting Secretary, Kevin McAleenan told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that Homeland Security Department officials will be “following up aggressively” on the West Texas shooting but didn’t want to jump to any conclusions about the causes or motive.
A traffic stop Saturday for failing to signal a left turn on interstate 20 seemingly sparked the horrific mass shooting. The Texas Department of Safety state said the man, identified only as a white male in his 30s, was pulled over for the traffic stop but then opened fire and took off. The gunman hijacked a USPS truck and then fired at random, hitting multiple people. The shooting spree spanned 10 miles, between Midland and Odessa, Texas. The two cities are in the heart of Texas oil country, over 300 miles west of Dallas.
The Midland Police Department said the lone shooting suspect was shot and killed near the Cinergy Movie Theater in Odessa, Texas.
THE VICTIMS
As of Sunday morning, the death toll in Saturday’s deadly mass shooting stands at 8—including the gunman. At least 22 others were injured in the attack. Local news station CBS7 in Midland identified one of the victims as postal worker Mary Granados, whose postal van was hijacked by the shooter during the rampage. Ector County ISD, located in Odessa, tweeted late Saturday that one of their students died in the shooting. The district didn’t name the student.
NBC News reports that a 17-month-old girl, identified as Anderson Davis was shot in the face. According to a GoFundMe page set up by a friend of the family, she suffered shrapnel in her right chest, and a bullet pierced her bottom lip and tongue, knocking her front teeth out. Eric Finley, marketing director of Texas’ UMC Health System, said Anderson was in satisfactory condition at a hospital in Lubbock.
On Saturday evening, Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke confirmed three law enforcement officers were shot, including a DPS Trooper, a Midland Police Department officer and an Odessa Police Department officer.
Check back for more details in Saturday’s mass shootings in Odessa, Texas.
SEE ALSO: MULTIPLE INJURED IN TEXAS SHOOTINGS