Latest violence raises toll in US shootings in August to 53

The seven people killed near Odessa, Texas, by a gunman brings the number of victims of US mass killings by firearms to 53 in the month of August.

Texas was the site of four of the eight deadliest shootings in the United States this year, according to the website Mass Shooting Tracker.

In the shooting on Saturday in Odessa, authorities said the gunman - identified as 36-year-old Seth Aaron Ator of Odessa - used an AR-type rifle. He shot and wounded three police officers before he was killed by police.

Law enforcement officials said on Sunday that the death toll in the West Texas shootings may have been even higher had the shooter not been stopped and killed outside a crowded movie theater.

The officials speculated the gunman may have planned to continue shooting inside the Cinergy Movie Theater in Odessa before the hijacked US Postal Service vehicle he was driving was disabled by law enforcement officers.

Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said the gunman likely wouldn't drive to the theater unless he planned to go inside. He said the shooting remains under investigation but that Ator's death outside the theater may have saved lives.

The US Postal Service said a 29-year-old employee was among the seven people killed.

Letter carrier Mary Granados was among those killed on Saturday by the gunman who went on a more than 16-kilometer rampage. Authorities say the shooter hijacked her mail carrier truck and fired at random as he drove in the area of Odessa and Midland.

Among the 22 wounded was a 17-month-old girl, Anderson Davis, who was shot in the face, according to officials.

Daniel Munoz, 28, of Odessa, was headed to a bar to meet a friend when he noticed the driver of an approaching car was holding what appeared to be a rifle.

"This is my street instincts: When a car is approaching you and you see a gun of any type, just get down," said Munoz, who moved from San Diego about a year ago to work in oil country. "Luckily I got down. ...Sure enough, I hear the shots go off. He let off at least three shots on me."

Hundreds of people gathered at a local university in the Permian Basin region known for its oil industry on Sunday evening for a prayer vigil to console each other and grieve the loss of life.

Odessa Mayor David Turner said: "We will get through the tragedy. We will show our beloved state and nation what it means to be Permian Basin strong."

The other shootings in August include one on Aug 3 at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, where 22 people were killed and 26 others wounded by a gunman who targeted shoppers in the predominantly Hispanic border city. The suspect wrote an anti-immigrant manifesto that was posted online shortly before the attack.

On Aug 4, nine people were killed and 27 wounded in Dayton, Ohio.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

aiheping@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily 09/03/2019 page12)