The Liberal Gun Club Forum

At least five people were killed and 21 others were injured in shootings near Midland and Odessa Saturday, police confirmed. The alleged shooter was shot and killed at Cinergy Cinemas in Odessa.

The suspect was a white man in his mid-30s. In a news conference Saturday afternoon, Chief Michael Gerke of the Odessa Police Department said the shooting began around 3 p.m. after a traffic stop. When a trooper tried to pull over the gunman, he shot the trooper who pulled him over and began shooting people at random, Gerke said.

The shooter eventually ditched his car, hijacked a U.S. Postal Service vehicle and continued to open fire, Gerke said. Two law enforcement officers were injured.

“Please understand this is not just an Odessa Police Department, Midland Police Department and Department of Public Safety thing,” Gerke said during a press conference. “This was a joint effort by a multiple of departments to find this animal and bring him to justice.”

Gerke said reports of a second gunman were unconfirmed. He said while officials “believe we have the threat contained ... I can’t be 1,000 percent sure of that.”

Midland Mayor Jerry Morales told the New York Times that the shooter targeted Interstate 20 and Highway 191. During the shooting, the Texas Department of Public Safety encouraged people in Midland, Odessa and Big Spring to remain indoors.

At a press conference from Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, CEO Russell Tippin said they had 14 victims in the hospital. Grief counseling is being provided and a team of nurses is reuniting families in a designated area, he said. Tippin said the hospital was “stable and secure” and that all the locations were locked down for the safety of the staff and victims.

“We have 14 victims in the hospital. Not ready to discuss ages,” Tippin said. “Pray for the victims. If you hear my voice, hug your families.”

A DPS official told MSNBC that all shootings, or reports of shootings, took place outside of buildings. According to officials, the shooting started in Midland and then proceeded to Odessa.

Prior to the suspect’s death, Midland police posted a warning on the department’s Facebook page: “A subject (possibly 2) is currently driving around Odessa shooting at random people. At this time there are multiple gunshot victims. The suspect just hijacked a U.S. mail carrier truck and was last seen in the area of 38th and Walnut. Everyone is encouraged to get off the road and use extreme caution! All law enforcement is currently searching for the suspect and more information will be released as soon as it becomes available.”

senorgrand wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 3:18 pm And yet we are still giving millions of dollars to the murderers in free publicity...

The Odessa, Texas mass shooter was accused of threatening his neighbor last month with a rifle.

According to a CNN report, Veronica Alonzo said that the 36-year-old gunman, who killed seven people and injured 22, would frequently shoot out of a structure on top of his house.

She explained that he would often shoot at animals in his yard and retrieve them after they were dead.

Last month, however, she was forced to call the police, out of fear. She said that because the location doesn’t show up on GPS, police never responded.

According to Alonzo, the shooter’s home didn’t have any running water or electricity, and he could be seen over the winter sitting inside his Toyota Camry with the heat on to keep warm.

While Odessa, TX Police Chief Michael Gerke refused to release the name of the suspect who allegedly killed seven and injured 22 in a spree shooting because he didn’t want him to get notoriety, law enforcement officials have told the Washington Post, CNN and other media outlets that he is 36-year-old Seth Aaron Ator. The City of Odessa’s spokeswoman later confirmed the ID in an email to the Midland Reporter-Telegram. Police say a state trooper pulled the suspect over during a traffic stop outside Midland, TX on the afternoon of Aug. 31 when he allegedly shot the officer. He then drove west to Odessa where he allegedly shot more people at random before being killed by police in a shootout.

According to his Linkedin profile, he was a truck driver for a living, based out of Midland, TX. The New York Times reported that he had just been fired from his job a few hours before the shooting spree took place.

He was arrested in 2001 for criminal trespass in McLennan County, Texas and evading arrest, according to public records. Both of those charges were misdemeanors, although the outcome of the cases were not clear and listed as deferred. He also received a traffic citation for a federal motor carrier safety violation in 2018, according to Ector County court records

U.S. Rep. Tom Craddick told the Midland Reporter-Telegram he had previously failed a background check, although it’s unclear what caused the red flag.

VodoundaVinci wrote: Mon Sep 02, 2019 10:21 am Gaad Help US All. When, oh when, are we going to start to conceive of having a real, scientific discussion about what is driving folks crazy enough to mass murder their neighbors? We all sit and point fingers at each other but have not yet even begun to search for a clue as to why this is happening.

We won't find a solution until we look.

VooDoo

sikacz wrote: Mon Sep 02, 2019 10:35 am

VodoundaVinci wrote: Mon Sep 02, 2019 10:21 am Gaad Help US All. When, oh when, are we going to start to conceive of having a real, scientific discussion about what is driving folks crazy enough to mass murder their neighbors? We all sit and point fingers at each other but have not yet even begun to search for a clue as to why this is happening.

We won't find a solution until we look.

VooDoo

Root causes of violence is difficult. It requires an investment in society. Banning guns is simpler, but doesn’t address the issue. I’m willing to talk as long as the other side is really interested in a solution. They are not.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted Monday that the gunman in Saturday’s mass shooting in Midland and Odessa had previously failed a gun purchase background check and did not go through a background check to buy the gun used in Saturday’s incident.

Abbott’s tweet did not say why the 36-year-old Odessa man didn’t pass the background check or how he obtained the rifle he used to kill seven people and injure 22 others — including a state trooper and two police officers. The gunman died after a shootout with police outside a Midland movie theater.

Abbott also cited the shooter’s criminal history.

“We must keep guns out of criminals’ hands,” he said.

The Austin American-Statesman reported that the gunman was arrested for evading arrest and criminal trespass in McLennan County in 2001, when he was 18, and received deferred adjudication — a form of probation — after pleading guilty to both misdemeanor charges. In Texas, only convictions for felonies or domestic violence misdemeanors block people from legally buying a gun.

Abbott could not be immediately reached for comment.

In Texas, licensed dealers must conduct background checks through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS. However, there are exceptions to this rule, such as if the buyer already has a Texas concealed carry license for a handgun. Private sales between individuals also do not require a criminal background check, which includes some gun sales at gun shows.

Also on Monday, Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said the gunman had been fired from his job just before the shooting. Gerke said the gunman and his boss at an oilfield services company got into a verbal altercation and both the gunman and the company called 911 to report the incident. The gunman also called the FBI’s tip line, Gerke said.

FBI Special Agent Christopher Collins said the gunman was “rambling” but not threatening when he called the tip line.

senorgrand wrote: Mon Sep 02, 2019 11:46 am I am going to repost this here

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