Houston: At least five persons were killed and 21 others injured when a gunman opened fire at random on Saturday in the second mass shooting in the US state of Texas in a month, police said.
The shooting–the 38th mass killing by firearms in the US this year–occurred in the West Texas cities of Midland and Odessa.
The gunman, who was white and in his mid-30s, was shot dead by police at the Cinergy movie theatre after a chase. However, police did not identify the shooter by his name.
The gunman opened fire around 3 pm (local time) after he was pulled over by traffic officials.
He shot at the trooper who stopped him and began shooting people at random, local media quoted Chief Michael Gerke of the Odessa Police Department as saying. The driver then began shooting at other people in several other locations. At one point, he abandoned his car and stole a postal truck before continuing his spree. He was shot dead by police at a cinema complex.
“We have at least 21 shooting victims and at least five deceased,” Gerke told reporters. Three police officers were injured, he added. (PTI)
