AT A GLANCE
- One person was killed and 10 others were injured Friday morning in Midland.
- Authorities identified the suspect as 45-year-old Victor Mata Villarreal of Odessa.
- Texas DPS said Villarreal was already wanted for attempted capital murder of a peace officer.
- Police said Villarreal barricaded himself inside an abandoned veterinary clinic before he was found dead.
Suspect In Midland, Texas, Shooting Had Fired At A Police Officer Days Earlier, Officials Say
A deadly shooting in Midland left one person dead and 10 others injured Friday morning, days after authorities say the suspected gunman opened fire on a police officer during a chase.
The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the suspect as 45-year-old Victor Mata Villarreal of nearby Odessa. Authorities said Villarreal was already wanted when he began firing at officers and bystanders in Midland before barricading himself inside an abandoned veterinary clinic.
Midland Police Chief Greg Snow said officers were responding to reports of an active shooter when Villarreal started firing at them. Several officers were pinned down behind patrol vehicles before an armored vehicle was used to rescue them.
Police said Villarreal was found dead inside the building a few hours after the shooting began. Authorities did not immediately say how he died.
As the shooting unfolded, law enforcement worked to move people out of danger and reduce the number of possible targets in the area.
“We moved to deny more targets for this active shooter,” Snow said.
Midland Mayor Lori Blong said authorities used robot and drone footage to confirm that the shooter was dead.
The shooting drew a heavy police response along a roadway lined with hotels and auto businesses a few miles west of downtown Midland. Dozens of squad cars and law enforcement vehicles were seen in the area as officers worked to secure the scene.
Villarreal Was Wanted In Earlier Shooting At Officer
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Villarreal was wanted for attempted capital murder of a peace officer after allegedly firing multiple times at a Midland police officer on Wednesday.
Investigators said the officer had tried to pull Villarreal over, but Villarreal drove away. The officer was not injured and returned fire. Authorities later found Villarreal’s vehicle empty a short distance away.
Friday’s standoff happened about a half-mile from where the earlier shots were fired at the officer.
Texas criminal history records show Villarreal had a previous conviction from 2009 for unlawfully carrying a firearm in San Angelo. Court records also show he had been arrested several other times.
He was charged in 2003 and 2004 with unlawfully carrying a weapon and unlawful possession of a prohibited weapon, though both cases appear to have been dismissed as part of a plea. He also pleaded no contest to a domestic violence charge in 2008 that was later dismissed.
Witness Describes Heavy Gunfire Near Closed Clinic
Andrea Mendias, who works at a body shop next to the closed veterinary clinic, said she heard what sounded like a small explosion before seeing heavily armed officers rush into the parking lot. She said some officers appeared to go inside the building.
Mendias said she had earlier heard what sounded like at least 40 gunshots.
Video from Mendias showed officers coming out of the back of an armored police vehicle while police deployed robots into the area.
Midland Memorial Hospital said four people underwent surgery and five others had been treated and released.
Midland Attack Comes Years After 2019 Odessa-Midland Rampage
Midland, a city of about 140,000 residents, sits in the heart of West Texas’ oil and gas region. The area was also the site of a deadly 2019 shooting rampage that shook both Midland and Odessa.
In that attack, a gunman who had been fired from his oil services job killed seven people and wounded two dozen others while firing at random as he drove through the Odessa and Midland areas.
The two West Texas cities are more than 300 miles west of Dallas.
