At least five dead after more than twenty shots as one armed man targets random victims in Odessa region, police say

This article is updated constantly.

At least five people died after more than 20 people were shot dead Saturday when an armed man hijacked a postal truck and began shooting randomly in the neighborhood of Odessa, in the northern part of the country. West Texas, authorities announced.

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

Odessa police chief, Michael Gerke, confirmed that the authorities had shot the gunman, whose name was not revealed.

Gerke said that at least 21 people had been shot dead. He did not say he included the shooter in the balance sheet of five people. It was unclear whether the number of people killed included the dead or whether it was the number of wounded.

The shooting began after 3:00 pm, when a soldier from the Department of Public Safety attempted to stop a Honda on Interstate 20. The driver fired on the soldier, continued to roll westward to Odessa and shot another victim on the highway, police said.

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

The shooter used I-20 and State Highway 191, which connect Odessa and Midland. Members of the security forces shot him after driving in the east of the country to a movie theater in Odessa. A video on a mobile phone showed people coming out of the cinema.

Although the name of the gunman was not revealed, Gerke said that he had an idea of ​​who this man 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 Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, said 13 victims were treated there, but he did not provide details about their health conditions or other information about the victims. Earlier, he said that 14 victims had been taken to the hospital.

The police initially thought that there might be more than one gunman, but Gerke said the authorities now thought there was only one man there. ;a.

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

Dustin Fawcett stated that he was sitting in his truck at a Starbucks in Odessa when he heard at least six shots sounding within fifty feet behind him.

Fawcett, an Odessa transport consultant, "went out to make sure everyone was safe," but found that no one had been touched by the shot fired nearby. He said that a little girl was bleeding and found that she had been stung in the face.

He said that when the police took out their rifles and vests, he realized that "it's not a car." It's something else, it's something bigger, "said Fawcett.

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 his daughter driving behind them, felt that something was wrong while a bunch of police cars had 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 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. "

US Senators in Texas also offered their condolences through written statements.

"Tonight we are only one with the entire Midland-Odessa community, especially the victims of this horrific tragedy," said Sen. John Cornyn.

Senator Ted Cruz expressed similar sentiments in the name of himself and his wife: "Heidi and I are heartbroken by this heinous attack and we are raising in prayer all the victims, their families and the entire community of Midland -Odessa."

Beto O. Rourke, Democratic presidential candidate and former congressman of El Paso, 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 to 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.