Five killed, including shooter, around 21 injured in Texas shooting: police, media

(Reuters) – Five people were killed, including a shooter, and around 21 were injured in a gun rampage in the cities of Midland and Odessa in west Texas on Saturday, police and a local television station reported.

“The active shooter was shot and killed at the Cinergy in Odessa,” Midland police said on Facebook, referring to a multiplex cinema complex in Odessa. “There is no active shooter at this time. All agencies are investigating reports of possible suspects.”

Odessa police previously said it believed there were two shooters in two separate vehicles driving around the city of 117,000 shooting at random people.

Midland Mayor Jerry Morales told CNN the shooter was shot and killed in the parking lot of a movie theater: “We’re hoping it’s just one shooter and we have contained him.”

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Morales said he did not know anything about the suspect or what his motive was. He said one police officer was shot and was in surgery with non life-threatening injuries.

“At this time there are multiple gunshot victims. The suspect just hijacked a U.S. Mail carrier truck,” the police department said.

At least three police officers were among the wounded, CBS affiliate CBS 7 reported.

One suspect was driving a U.S. Post Office van, and the other a gold and white Toyota truck, Midland police said.

A local hospital said it had taken in three patients in critical condition and three in stable condition, CBS7 reported.

The television station reported that armed police ran through the Music City Mall in Odessa where CBS7 is located and the building went on lockdown.

The shooting came after 22 people were killed at a Walmart store about 255 miles west of Midland in city of El Paso, Texas on Aug. 2.

Odessa police were holding a news conference.

(Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Dan Grebler)