Odessa and Midland Shooting Suspect Reportedly Identified as 36-Year-Old Seth Ator

The man behind the shootings in Odessa, Texas that left five dead and over 20 injured has been identified as Seth Ator. Police initially confirmed that the suspect was a white male in his 30s after announcing he had been killed by responding officers. The police have not officially named Ator as the suspect, but several outlets including the New York Daily News, ABC News, The Daily Beast and Associated Press indicated that police sources named Ator under conditions of anonymity.

“You’ll notice I’m not naming the subject, and there’s a reason for that. I refuse to. I’m not going to give him any notoriety for what he did,” Police Chief Micahel Gerke said at a press conference earlier Sunday.

No motive has been announced at this point but NBC News reports that the incident started as a traffic stop where Ator reportedly shot the officer on the scene and took off to start shooting random victims on the highway.

The suspect then drove down the highway, ended up hijacking a mail truck at some point and then ended up at the Cinergy movie theater and entertainment complex. There he was cornered by police and ended up being gunned down by the authorities.

Early reports indicated that there may be two active shooters between Odessa and Midland, with an upwards of nearly 30 victims. This was cleared up by authorities shortly after, with police and Midland’s mayor Jerry Morales updating the New York Times on the amount of fatalities.

“There are reports of an active shooter at the Home Depot in Odessa. For the safety of the public and law enforcement please stay away from the area and stay in your homes. We will update with more information as soon as possible,” an early bulletin from the Midland Police noted.

Reports indicate that the shooter used a .223-style long rifle and was shooting at random in Interstate 20 between the two cities.

This shooting comes only weeks after the deadly shooting in El Paso, Texas that left 21 dead and several more injured after a white supremacist opened fire at a Walmart. That was followed by another shooting in Dayton, Ohio that killed several more the very next day, bringing the total for one weekend to 31.

Footage from the shooting was captured by several witnesses. Different shots showed bystanders rushing from the scene, others taking cover with crying children, and the suspect crashing into police cars before being gunned down.

There was also an interesting news report that captured the evacuations at the nearby mall while reporters were live on the air. Luckily no one at the complex seemed to be injured.