US: 5 killed, 21 injured in Texas shooting

Five people, including the gunman, were killed and 21 others sustained injuries in a shooting incident on a highway near Odessa in Western Texas on Saturday, police said.

The incident occurred at around 4:30 pm (local time) when an armed man hijacked a mail truck and began to open fire at motorists on Interstate 20 and Highway 191, which connects the cities of Midland and Odessa.

Among those injured include three law enforcement officers, Police Chief Michael Gerke said at a news conference. Gerke described the suspect as a white male in his 30s. His name and a motive for the shooting were not given, reported CNN.

The chain of events leading to the shooting began after a Department of Public Safety officer pulled over a vehicle on an interstate highway on Saturday afternoon. The man inside the vehicle shot the officer, took off, and started shooting randomly. At one point, the shooter ditched his vehicle and hijacked a US Postal Service truck, authorities said.

US President Donald Trump said in a tweet that he had been briefed by Attorney General William Barr about the shooting incident and added that the FBI and the police were investigating the matter.

Democratic Presidential Candidate Beto O'Rourke on Saturday reacted to news of this mass shooting by proclaiming, "We need to end this epidemic."

"Our hearts are with Midland, Odessa, and everyone in West Texas who has to endure this again. More information is forthcoming, but here's what we know: We need to end this epidemic," he tweeted.

This is the second mass shooting in Texas this month. Four weeks ago, a gunman killed 22 people in El Paso, located about 285 miles to the west of Odessa.

-ANI