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Seven killed in West Texas shooting, suspect killed by police

By Ben Hooper

Aug. 31 (UPI) -- A shooting in West Texas killed at least seven people and injured about two dozen others Saturday before police killed the suspect.

The incident began at about 3:13 p.m. Saturday during a traffic stop in Midland, where the suspect shot at Texas troopers and sped away, firing a rifle at nearby people as he drove into Odessa.

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Investigators said one vehicle connected to the shootings was a gold Toyota, and another vehicle was a hijacked U.S. Postal Service mail delivery van. Police later confirmed both vehicles were used by the same person.

Midland police said the suspect was shot and killed near a Cinergy movie theater in Odessa. The slain suspect was described as a white male in his mid-30s.

Odessa police said at a 6 p.m. local time news conference that at least five people were killed and 21 injured. Those numbers later were updated, when officials confirmed the deaths of seven people plus the suspect. The injured included a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper, an Odessa police officer, a Midland police officer and a 17-month-old child.

Five of the victims were killed in Odessa and two in Midland, and 10 people remained in critical condition at two hospitals Sunday, CBS News reported.

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Officials at Medical Center Hospital-Odessa said 14 victims were admitted.

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