Texas shooting: 5 dead, 21 injured as gunman hijacks postal vehicle

Odessa, Sep 01: At least five people killed and 21 were injured in West Texas after a gunman hijacked a postal service vehicle and shot more than 20 people. The gunman was killed by police and three law enforcement officers were among the injured.

First to be shot was a policeman who stopped the gunman's car between the cities of Midland and Odessa.

Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said that at least 21 people have been injured by gunfire and five killed in a shooting in West Texas.

This was the moment police in Texas shot & stopped the Odessa mass shooting suspect as he drove toward them in a stolen U.S. postal service van. (Julie Vicknair posted this on her Facebook page) pic.twitter.com/tYAjUQ4QGp

— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) September 1, 2019

According to authorities, the shooting started with a traffic stop. The suspected shooter, described by police as a white male in his 30s, began shooting at law enforcement. He then hijacked a US Postal Service vehicle and continued to shoot at random, police said.

Police said there are "multiple gunshot victims" in West Texas after reports of two suspects opening fire on Saturday in the area of Midland and Odessa.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has urged residents to avoid major highways in the area, including Interstate 20.

Odessa is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Midland. Both are more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) west of Dallas.