West Texas shooting spree claims lives

A gunman killed five people and injured many more Saturday afternoon in the West Texas cities of Midland and Odessa. The suspect reportedly hijacked a U.S. Postal Service vehicle and fired at people randomly before police caught up with him at a movie theater in Odessa, where they shot and killed him. Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said at least 21 people sustained injuries in the shooting.

How similar was this shooting to the one in El Paso, Texas? Midland and Odessa are about 20 miles apart on Interstate 20 in the middle of a 630-mile stretch from Dallas to El Paso. A gunman opened fire Aug. 3 at an El Paso Walmart, killing 22 people. Police apprehended a suspect, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, and said he posted a white supremacist manifesto online before the shooting. Local authorities have not identified the Midland-Odessa shooter except to say he was a white male in his 30s. Earlier this week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott held two meetings with lawmakers about how to prevent more mass shootings in Texas.