Five people were killed and at least 21 people have been injured as police reported that the shooter had been shot and killed after shooting from two different vehicles in the cities of Midland and Odessa, Texas on Saturday night, according to CBS7, a CBS affiliate in West Texas.The incident began with an attempted traffic stop by the Texas Department of Public Safety. It is not clear what the background of the traffic stop was. The suspect is a white male in his mid-30s.2 people were killed said Mayor Jerry Morales to the New York Times. Morales also reported that one Midland police officer and one Texas Department of Public Safety officer were shot, according to CNN.Multiple hospitals in the area are on lockdown.
"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," said Texas Governor Greg Abbott, according to CNN. "The state of Texas and the Department of Public Safety are working closely with local law enforcement to provide resources as needed and deliver justice for this heinous attack."
"I thank the first responders who have acted swiftly and admirably under pressure, and I want to remind all Texans that we will not allow the Lone Star State to be overrun by hatred and violence," said Abbott. "We will unite, as Texans always do, to respond to this tragedy.”
CBS7 anchors rushed off camera as people ran from the Music City Mall and were told to clear the area. Armed police were seen in the area. Shortly after, CBS7 were allowed to return and reported that they had been told by local police that there was no longer an active shooter situation and that the shooter had been shot and killed. It was unclear why people ran from the mall.Soon after, the CBS7 crew were told to leave the building as a number of police officers with weapons drawn went store by store through the mall. They were allowed to return to the newsroom but warned to stay away from any windows. The scene is still active.Music City Mall announced that they were going to close for the rest of the day and would reopen on Sunday at noon.
A state trooper has been reported as one of the injuries.
"I have never seen anything like this," said CBS7 anchor Jay Hendricks.
Two separate vehicles were used in the incident: a gold/white small Toyota truck and a USPS Postal van. One vehicle is believed to be at the Cinergy in Odessa, while the other is on Loop 250 in Midland. While first reports stated that there were two shooters involved in the incident, local police later reported that there was most likely only one shooter who had started out in the Toyota truck and then hijacked a USPS van.
"Everyone is encouraged to get off the road and use extreme caution!" said Odessa police, according to ABC news.
10 people were shot in Midland while another 20 people were shot in Odessa, tweeted CBS correspondent David Begnaud.
Midland and Odessa are about 20 miles apart in West Texas.
Police warned people to stay away from the area and I-20 and to stay indoors. USPS has recalled its vehicles.
"Just briefed by Attorney General Barr about the shootings in Texas," tweeted President Donald Trump. "FBI and Law Enforcement is fully engaged. More to follow."
"I am horrified to see such a senseless act terrorize the fine people of the Permian Basin," tweeted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. "Thank you to the courageous local and state first responders who worked quickly today to stop this evil attack. I have asked my law enforcement division and my crime victims services team to assist in any way necessary. Please join Angela and me as we pray for comfort for those who have been impacted by this violent act."
In August, 20 people were killed in a shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas.
The massacre came just six days after the last major outbreak of US gun violence in a public place - a food festival in California where a teenager killed three people with an assault rifle and injured a dozen others before taking his own life in a hail of police gunfire.
The Texas killings were followed just 13 hours later by another mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, where a gunman in body armor killed nine people in less than a minute and wounded 27 others in the city's downtown historic district before he was shot dead by police.
This is a developing story.
Reuters contributed to this report.