Suspect in Midland, Texas, shooting had fired at a police officer days earlier
A man who opened fire in Midland, Texas, on Friday morning, killing one person and injuring 10 others, had shot at a police officer during a chase just days earlier, authorities said.
The suspect, 45-year-old Victor Mata Villarreal, was already being sought by law enforcement when he began firing at officers and bystanders before barricading himself inside an abandoned veterinary clinic, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Midland Police Chief Greg Snow said officers responded to reports of an active shooter when Mata Villarreal opened fire. Several officers were pinned behind patrol cars and had to be rescued by an armored vehicle. Mata Villarreal was found dead inside the building a few hours later, though authorities did not say how he died. Police then evacuated anyone stranded nearby. “We moved to deny more targets for this active shooter,” Snow said. Mayor Lori Blong said robot and drone footage confirmed the shooter was dead.
Mata Villarreal, of nearby Odessa, was wanted for attempted capital murder of a peace officer after allegedly firing multiple times at a Midland officer during a traffic stop Wednesday. The officer was uninjured and returned fire after Mata Villarreal fled. His vehicle was later found abandoned. Friday’s standoff occurred about a half-mile from that shooting.
Texas records show Mata Villarreal was convicted in 2009 of unlawfully carrying a firearm. Other weapons charges from 2003 and 2004 were dismissed as part of a plea, and a 2008 domestic violence case was later dismissed.
As officers flooded the area, witnesses reported hearing dozens of gunshots and what sounded like an explosion. Video showed police deploying robots and armored vehicles. Midland Memorial Hospital said four people underwent surgery, while five others were treated and released.
Midland, a city of about 140,000 in Texas’ oil and gas region, was also near the site of a 2019 shooting rampage in which a gunman killed seven people and wounded two dozen others while driving through Odessa and Midland, more than 300 miles west of Dallas.
