(Reuters) – A gunman who went on the rampage with an AR-type rifle in West Texas killed seven people and wounded 22 others, including a toddler who was shot in the face, before he was killed by police, authorities said yesterday.
Police said the second mass shooting in Texas in four weeks began on Saturday afternoon with a routine traffic stop and ended when the suspect, a white male in his 30s, was cornered by officers in the parking lot of a cinema complex.
Police, motorists and shoppers were all caught up in the chaos that unfolded between the cities of Odessa and Midland during a busy Labor Day holiday weekend.
Authorities have said the shooter was known to police and lived locally. Authorities said the investigation continues, but there was no apparent link to domestic or international terrorism.
“There are no definitive answers as to motive or reasons at this point, but we are fairly certain that the subject did act alone,” Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said at a news conference.
Gerke said seven victims were killed and 22 wounded, and he offered his condolences to their families.
“My heart aches for them all,” he said.
