There are now seven dead in the latest Texas massacre. Twenty-two others were wounded. One of those wounded was a 17-month-old girl who will undergo surgery tomorrow. From The New York Times:
“The authorities said Sunday that the seven people killed in the attack ranged in age from 15 to 57, including 29-year-old Mary Granados, whom U.S.P.S. officials said was a letter carrier. In a statement, the department said it was “shocked and saddened” and was working closely with other agencies on the investigation.“
Police don’t have a motive. They only know a man who was pulled over for a traffic violation opened fire. He then led law enforcement on a chase, hijacked a United States Postal Service van. He continued to randomly fire at people he passed before he was gunned down near a movie theater.
The gunman has been identified as 36-year-old Seth Aaron Ator, 36, of Odessa. Law enforcement officials originally refused to release the man’s identity saying they didn’t want to give the shooter any more notoriety. The local police chief in Odessa, Texas, Michael Gerke, said the man used an AR-15 style rifle in his rampage. Ator has a criminal record.
The police chief suggested the gunman may have intended to enter the crowded movie theater, but he was shot dead before he could make his way inside.