4 hours agoOne down and 10 wounded by Texas shooting, the assailant is dead.
Periskopi(5 hours ago)
(5 hours ago)In a shooting of firearms in Midland, Texas, this morning, one person was killed and ten others were injured. The attacker, whom the police were looking for, was found dead after hours of drama in which he was barricaded in an abandoned building.
According to official information, several injured persons are still in hospital, CNN writes.
The drama began about 8am local time when officers in West Wall Street heard gunshots fired. Texas Public Security Department (DPS) and Midland Police immediately responded to the scene. Upon arrival, the suspect, identified as 45-year-old Victor Mata Willarreal of Odessa, began shooting at officers and passersby before being equipped at an abandoned veterinary clinic.
Police immediately surrounded the building. After a several - hour siege, the suspect was found dead about 12:30 p.m. A police source confirmed to CNN that he died of a gunshot wound caused by himself. One of the gunshot victims died at the scene.
The attacker was on the run since Wednesday.
Authorities said Willarreal was a wanted fugitive since Wednesday for attempted serious murder of an officer. He then shot several times at a police officer during a high - speed chase.
According to numerous police sources, Willarreal likely turned off his cell phone to avoid tracking, but the device began sending a signal back to the area this morning. As the officers approached him today, he began shooting at the pedestrians and drivers by chance.
Stream of siege and evidence
Inside Bowen, the manager of All American Collition nearby, said that saw “a man accidentally shot cars passing”. Her business was under lockdown as the siege lasted.
Witnesses said that an armored vehicle of special police broke through the fence, after which the officers entered the building where the suspect was hiding. Andrea Mendias, from a nearby service centre, said he saw twenty special police officers entering “.
After police examined images of surveillance cameras from her workshop, she was told that she believed the suspect was in the building next door.
Victims' status and reactions
The Midland Memorial Hospital has admitted nine gunshot victims, spokeswoman Tasa Richardson confirmed. Five victims were released this afternoon, three are outside the operating hall, and one is still in operation. The hospital had been closed since 8:20 am “due to an active shooting incident”, and measures were removed after the shooting was confirmed dead.
FBI Director Cash Patel announced on social networks that the FBI is on the scene and is assisting local police in the investigation. Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a statement saying he was “deeply saddened by the senseless act of violence at Midland”.
“We are praying for victims, their families and the entire community”, Abbott said. “I've been notified of the incident and congratulate the prompt reaction of the Midland Police Department, DPS and all law enforcement agencies that helped. ”
