Again. And again. And again. Name one other country that isn't facing invasion, occupation, or civil war which has this level of gun violence.Five people have been killed and 21 injured after a shooting near the twin towns of Midland and Odessa in west Texas. The gunman, who opened fire after his car was stopped by police on Saturday afternoon, was killed by police after being chased to a parking lot at an entertainment complex.
It was the second mass shooting in Texas this month. On 3 August a gunman killed 22 people and injured 24 at a Walmart in El Paso.
The Texas governor, Greg Abbott, said: “The first lady and I are heartbroken over this senseless and cowardly attack, and we offer our unwavering support to the victims, their families, and all the people of Midland and Odessa.”
Authorities said the incident started to unfold about 3.17pm local time when a Texas public safety trooper stopped a gold Honda. The driver of the car shot the trooper and drove west into the city of Odessa, officials said.
The suspect stole a mail truck and continued to shoot, authorities said. Police described the gunman as a white man in his mid-30s.
In the brief televised press conference, a police spokesman said the situation remained “very fluid, confusing” and did not divulge details of those killed and wounded.
Russell Tippin, chief executive of the Medical Center Health System in Odessa, said his hospital had received 14 victims.
“Their conditions vary – we’re not ready to speak further on that,” he said.
The hospital was on lockdown for safety reasons, Tippin added.
The mayor of Midland, Jerry Morales, earlier told CNN the injuries were not necessarily all from gunshots. One Midland police officer and one state law enforcement official were in surgery for non-life-threatening injuries, he said.
Earlier, both the Midland and Odessa police departments said there were two suspects in the shooting, which Midland police originally said began at a Home Depot store in Odessa.
A spokeswoman for Home Depot said in an email to the Guardian: “There was not a shooting in our store in Odessa [or Midland].”
The police officer who spoke to reporters said he could not confirm there was not a second suspect. Morales said: “We are hoping this is just one shooter and we have contained him.”
Morales said that when the shooter was pulled over “that’s when he took off and started shooting randomly”.
Morales added: “I do not know anything about the person or what the motive was.”
The suspect was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Cinergy complex, he said, adding that it was between Odessa and Midland. Midland and Odessa are in the western part of Texas, about 20 miles apart. Cinergy is a cinema and entertainment chain.
The Midland police department first announced reports of “an active shooter” in Odessa and advised people to stay off the roads.
On Facebook, the department added: “We believe there are two shooters in two separate vehicles. One suspect is believed to be at the Cinergy in Midland and the other is believed to be driving on Loop 250 in Midland.”
Odessa police said a suspect “hijacked a US mail carrier truck” and added: “Subject (possibly 2) is currently driving around Odessa shooting at random people.”
Amid the confusion, the University of Texas of the Permian Basin was placed on lockdown.
The White House said Donald Trump had been briefed. The president was monitoring the approach of Hurricane Dorian from his golf club in Virginia and from the Maryland retreat at Camp David.
Early on Saturday evening, Trump tweeted: “Just briefed by Attorney General Barr about the shootings in Texas. FBI and law enforcement is fully engaged. More to follow.”
After the El Paso shooting and another the next day in Dayton, Ohio in which nine people were killed and more than 20 injured, Trump seemed to edge towards accepting some sort of bipartisan move for gun control reform. He soon retreated, repeating talking points promoted by the National Rifle Association.
On Saturday the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, a contender for the Democratic nomination to run against Trump, tweeted: “I’m heartsick for the victims of this latest mass shooting in Odessa and Midland. We shouldn’t have to live with this near daily fear and horror. We’ve already lost far too many to gun violence –Congress must act now.”
Another Democratic contender, the former El Paso congressman Beto O’Rourke, said: “Our hearts are with Midland, Odessa, and everyone in West Texas who has to endure this again. More information is forthcoming, but here’s what we know: we need to end this epidemic.”
To be honest, I often feel as though the US effectively is in a state of low-intensity civil war- just not a conventional one with armies or factions (and thus not one that can be dealt with militarily). Just an endless stream of fanatics and nut jobs with easy access to guns.
If there is a side, its the NRA vs. everybody else.
