The suspect in the Odessa-Midland shooting, was reportedly fired from his job with an Odessa trucking company hours before the deadly rampage occurred.
According to CBS7, sources have stated the firing is not believed to be the motivation behind the shooting.
The Suspect, later identified as 36-year-old Seth Aaron Ator of Odessa, was killed during the altercation that left seven people dead and many more injured.
Authorities say the shooting began shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday when DPS troopers attempted to pull over a vehicle along I-20, reported CBS7.
Ator is said to have pointed a rifle at the rear window of his car and then began to open fire, shooting a DPS Trooper and nearby civilians.
According to police, Ator then stole a U.S. Postal Service vehicle and continued the deadly rampage.
The shootings continued until Ator stopped at the Cinergy Movie Theater, where he shot two more police officers before being killed.
A police vehicle rammed the U.S.P.S. truck the suspect was driving, which sent it spinning into a group of other cars, authorities then surrounded the Vehicle.
“Law enforcement at that point had collectively taken efforts to surround him, and he was not going to go anywhere, and he was not going to hurt anybody else,” said Midland County District Attorney Laura Nodolf.
“That is the definition of heroism, when you have people you know are walking into fire and could be hit.”
Authorities say a total of 19 people were injured during the altercation, and seven were killed. The three police officers shot are said to be in stable condition.
A 17-month-old girl was also among the injured. “We hurt so badly for the families whose loved ones didn’t survive this tragedy,” said her parents, Kelby and Garret Davis, in a statement.
Victims range from the ages of 15 to 57, one of the victims, identified as Mary Granados, worked for the U.S. Postal Service and was said to be on the phone with her twin sister when she was killed, reported CNN.
“It was very painful,” said Granados sister Rosie. “I just wanted to help her and I couldn’t. I thought she had gotten bit by a dog or something. I tried calling her name and she wouldn’t answer.”
In response, The United States Postal Service released the following statement, “The Postal Service is shocked and saddened by the events that occurred yesterday in the Midland-Odessa area.
“We are especially grieving the loss of our postal family member, letter carrier Mary Granados, age 29, and we continue to keep her family in our thoughts.
“The United States Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement arm of the Postal Service, is working closely with our law enforcement partners to assist with the investigation.”
“If you look at the numbers, we’re looking at an active shooter every other week in this country,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs.
“I think it is frustrating for all of us in law enforcement that we keep having to do this. For the FBI in particular, we do them across the country as a service to our state and local partners. It’s just getting worse,” he added.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center at 1 (800) 225-5324.
