Odessa Police to Brief Media Sunday Morning About Gunman's Saturday Shooting Spree

ODESSA, TX — Odessa police said a suspect opened fire on a DPS trooper during a traffic stop on Interstate 20 between Midland and Odessa. CBS7 reported the driver pointed a rifle at the rear window of his gold Honda and began shooting at the DPS trooper's car behind him. The DPS trooper was riding dual with a second trooper. 

According to reports, one DPS trooper was injured by gunshot in the initial exchange. DPS told KTXS that the trooper who was shot in the face but will be okay. "It didn't hit any important stuff," KTXS said a trooper told them.

After opening fire on the DPS cruiser, the suspect fled westbound on I-20 and on his getaway, shot at a civilian at east Loop 338 and I-20. The shooting spree continued into the city limits of Odessa where the suspect swapped vehicles and drove off in a mail carrier's truck. In the new ride, the suspect continued shooting victims all over Odessa en route to the Cinergy movie theater near Highway 191.

In the melee, the suspect shot an Odessa police officer and a Midland policeman. Law enforcement returned fire there, eventually killing the suspect.

WATCH Facebook video since removed by Julie Vicknair of police taking out the shooter:

During the suspect's rampage, Midland police announced that there were two shooters in the area, the one in the stolen USPS vehicle and another in a Toyota pickup headed to Loop 250. They advised all citizens to stay indoors. The calamity soon ended after the original suspect was confirmed dead in the theater parking lot. News of a second shooter were confirmed false.

KTXS said police are investigating 13 crime scenes around Odessa as a result of the single gunman.

As of early Sunday morning, there are a total of at least 21 injured and 5 confirmed dead. Three of the injured are a DPS trooper, an Odessa police officer, and a Midland police officer. There is no longer an immediate threat to the public while this incident is investigated by local, state and federal officials, the Odessa police said.

Russell Tippin, the CEO of the Ector County Hospital District, told the AP that 7 of 13 people treated there are in critical condition at the medical center there, one of them a 2-year-old child.

The shooter has not identified by the end of the day Saturday but was described as a white male in his 30s. 

More information may be released Sunday noon when the Odessa Police Department will hold a press conference at the University of Texas at the Permian Basin.

Odessa police advise anyone who believes they may have family members who are victims to go to the Ector County Annex at 1010 E. 8th Street, or family or friends can visit www.safeandwell.com. Odessa police urged people to avoid going to area hospitals for information. 

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Sept 1, 2019 at 0930: The press conference was moved to the campus of UTPB at noon.