There are already 7 people killed by a shootout in West Texas; the aggressor is also dead

Three policemen were injured.

The shootout against officers during a roadside check on a highway began with a chaotic afternoon during which the gunman hijacked a post truck and shot people while driving in the Odessa areas and Midland, two places in the heart of the capital. the Texas oil zone.

Police initially indicated that there were probably more than one mugger, but Odessa 's police chief, Michael Gerke, later clarified that he was not there. was acting only one.

"The suspect continued to shoot innocent civilians throughout Odessa," a statement from local police said.

Gerke described the suspect as a white man aged about 30 years old. He did not give his name or reason, although he said he had information about his identity.

What happened

The terrifying aggression began on Saturday afternoon when state patrolmen on Interstate 20 attempted to stop a golden car for not reporting a left turn, according to the spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, Katherine Cesinger. Before the vehicle was completely immobilized, he said, the driver "pointed a rifle at the rear window of his vehicle and fired several shots" at the police car that had stopped him. . The shots hit one of the agents. Later, the gunman escaped "and continued to shoot innocent people", including two policemen.

In addition to the injured officers, there were at least 21 civilian casualties, Gerke said. At least five people died. The police chief did not specify whether the gunman was among the dead or whether the five victims were included in the number of 21 civilians affected.

Shauna Saxton said that she was driving to Odessa, with her husband and grandson in the vehicle, and had stopped at a traffic light when she had heard loud noises.

"I looked over my shoulder and the golden car stopped, the man was there, he had a very big rifle and he was pointing at me," he said. said on KOSA television.

Saxton said that she was surprised because there were two cars in front of her. "I started to sound the horn and I managed to double it a bit," he said in tears. His vehicle could get away from the golden car, he said, but they heard three more bangs as they walked away.

The attack occurred several weeks after an armed man killed 22 people in the border town of El Paso, Texas, by opening fire in a chain of Walmart stores. Texas Governor Greg Abbott had two meetings this week with lawmakers to discuss gun prevention in Texas.

Seven people remained serious at the hospital just hours after the Saturday shootings, said Russell Tippin, general manager of the Odessa Medical Center Hospital. A two-year-old boy was also transferred to another hospital, he said. A person who had been transferred to the hospital died, said Tippin, although it is unclear if this victim was among the five deaths mentioned by Gerke.