Suspect in deadly Texas mass shooting had fired on police days earlier, officials say
KLTV.com • • nation
Key Points:
- Victor Mata Villarreal, a 45-year-old suspect already wanted for attempted capital murder of a peace officer, opened fire in Midland, Texas, on Friday, killing one person and injuring 10 others before barricading himself in an abandoned veterinary clinic.
- Police responded to reports of an active shooter and were pinned down by gunfire, requiring rescue by an armored vehicle; Villarreal was later found dead inside the building, with authorities using robots and drones to confirm his death.
- Villarreal had previously shot at police during a chase just days earlier and had a criminal history involving unlawful possession of weapons, including a 2009 conviction for unlawfully carrying a firearm.
- The shooting caused a large law enforcement response in the area, with several victims requiring surgery and others treated and released at Midland Memorial Hospital.
- Midland, a city of about 140,000 in Texas’s oil and gas region, was previously affected by a deadly shooting rampage in 2019 that left seven dead and numerous injured.