Five dead and several injured after one armed man targets random victims in Odessa region, police say

This article is updated constantly.

Five people died and at least 21 others were wounded on Saturday when an armed man hijacked a postal truck and began shooting at random in the Odessa region, authorities said.

At least three law enforcement officers were shot dead. The details on their terms were not immediately published.

The shooting started after 15 hours. On Saturday, when a DPS soldier attempted to stop a Honda on Interstate 20. The driver fired on the soldier and continued his way west, to Odessa, as well that's another victim on the road, police said.

At one point in Odessa, the gunman abandoned his Honda, hijacked the postal truck and shot more people, said Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke.

The gunman took Interstate 20 and Highway 191, which connects Odessa and Midland. Members of the security forces shot him after driving east towards a cinema in Odessa.

The name of the gunman was not revealed, but Gerke said that he had an idea who he was and described him as being white and in his thirties.

A 17-month-old child who was shot in the face was among the victims, KWES-TV reported. The child, whose condition was unknown, was flown to the Lubbock University Medical Center.

Russell Tippin, CEO of the Odessa Medical Center Hospital, said 14 victims were being treated there, but he did not provide details about their health conditions or other information about the victims.

Odessa police chief, Michael Gerke, said that at least five people had died as a result of the shooting. He added that three law enforcement officers had been injured and at least 21 civilians had been shot dead.

Police initially reported that there could be more than one armed man, but Gerke said the authorities now believe that there is more than one.

"Once this person was removed from the photo, there were more casualties," he said.

The Saturday shootout took place just four weeks after an armed man killed 22 people in El Paso.

Jessica Diaz, a 27-year-old private nurse, was driving with her husband when social media friend alerts began to arrive on her phone, warning her to stay off the road.

She went straight home, with memories of the El Paso massacre that had targeted Hispanics, which added to her fear.

"I'm not going to lie, but it's still in my mind: does this shooter or these shooters target Hispanics?" she says. "You do not know if he was aiming for us – it's more disturbing because there are a lot of them here, anyway, it was annoying, overwhelming, you do not want to that whoever, regardless of race, is the victim of a mad person. "

Yolanda Navarro, 49, said that she and her husband, with her daughter driving behind them, had the feeling that something was wrong as a series of police cars passed them.

"We went home and heard the news. We immediately locked ourselves inside. We were told to stay home. Everyone is tense … We are desperate, we do not know what to do. It's the Labor Day weekend. We were looking forward to a relaxing weekend with the family. "

Governor Greg Abbott issued a written statement in which Saturday's shooting was described as "senseless and cowardly attack".

He said that he would go to Odessa on Sunday morning.

"The First Lady and I are heartbroken … and we offer our unwavering support to the victims, their families and all the residents of Midland and Odessa." The State of Texas and the Ministry of Public Security work closely with local law enforcement agencies to provide the necessary resources and to do justice to this heinous attack.

"I thank the first responders who acted quickly and admirably under pressure, and I want to remind all the Texans that we will not let the Lone Star State be invaded by hatred and violence." We will unite, as always do. the Texans, to react to this tragedy ".

President Donald Trump tweeted that he had been informed of the shooting.

"The FBI and law enforcement are fully engaged," he wrote.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also said that the state's law enforcement resources would also be deployed according to the needs of the investigation.

"I am horrified to see such an insane act terrorize the good people of the Permian Basin," he said in a statement. "… I have asked my law enforcement division and my crime victim services team to assist with any and all of their needs. necessary manner. "

Beto O. Rourke, Democratic presidential candidate, expressed his condolences on Twitter: "Our heart is with Midland, Odessa and all the inhabitants of West Teas who have to endure this again." More information is available at come, but here's what we know: We need to end this epidemic. "

The presidential candidate, Julián Castro, in Houston for a forum sponsored by the Islamic Society of North America, also said that it was time to take action to combat gun violence.

"Our thoughts are with the families and the victims of the shooting in Midland and Odessa," he said.

Associated Press, the Washington Post, Bloomberg News, and the Lubbock Avalanche Journal contributed to this report.