ODESSA, Texas (AP) — Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke says that at least 21 people have been injured by gunfire and five killed in a shooting in West Texas.
At a news conference Saturday, Gerke also says that at least three law enforcement officers were among those shot.
He spoke after a chaotic afternoon during which police reported that a suspect hijacked a U.S. Postal Service vehicle. A man began shooting after an attempted traffic stop, then began firing at random in the area of Odessa and Midland, hitting multiple people.
Police initially reported that there could be more than one shooter, but Gerke says authorities now believe it was one shooter.
Midland police said a suspect was shot and killed near the Cinergy movie theater in Odessa. The Washington Post described the suspect as a white man in his 30s.
The Texas Department of Public Safety had urged residents to avoid major highways in the area. The USPS recalled its vehicles to help authorities track down the suspect, according to CBS7.
The University of Texas Permian Basin campus had gone into lockdown.
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