There are reports he may have had a criminal record that would have prohibited him having a gun, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Via CBS:
Two dozen more people were wounded in the rampage outside Odessa, Texas — the second mass shooting in the state in a month. The alleged gunman was killed by police, bringing the total death toll from the incident to eight.
The terrifying chain of events began with a traffic stop Saturday on an interstate in the heart of Texas’ oil country. State troopers say the man, identified only as a white male in his 30s, pulled over for the traffic stop but then opened fire and took off.
Gunshots hit one trooper in the car that made the traffic stop. The gunman then ditched his car and hijacked a postal service truck, unleashing more rounds as he drove away.
The gunman was eventually killed in a shootout with police outside a movie theater, but two more officers were among those left wounded. All three officers shot were said on Saturday night to be in stable condition.
An FBI spokesperson told CBS News early Sunday morning that six people were killed, not including the suspect, and 24 were wounded in total. An Odessa city official later confirmed another victim had died overnight in a hospital. Five of the victims were killed in Odessa and two in neighboring Midland.
The suspect died in a hospital in Midland. Law enforcement sources told CBS News the man’s name was Seth Ator. One source said Ator was an Odessa resident.
Update:
Here’s the pic:
And more from Heavy:
Seth Ator has been identified as the accused gunman who was shot and killed by police after a rampage in Odessa and Midland, Texas, according to the Odessa Police Department. Police said the shooter was taken down by officers at the Cinergy movie complex in Odessa. The incident began around 3:15 p.m. local time on Saturday, August 31, as an attempted traffic stop along Interstate 20.
Police had originally been looking for two potential gunmen. But after Ator was shot, officials stated that there was no longer a threat of an active shooter. Investigators now say they are confident the gunman acted alone.
Seven victims were killed in Saturday’s rampage, according to federal officials. More than 20 others were injured, several critically. Three law enforcement officers who were injured, including the state trooper who was shot during the traffic stop, are expected to recover.