Death toll rises to seven in Texas shooting rampage; shooter identified

Wochit, WochitODESSA, Texas – The death toll rose to seven Sunday after a gunman's rampage that left many more injured following what began as a routine traffic stop Saturday in this West Texas city.Police Chief Michael Gerke, at a news conference Sunday, said the victims ranged in age from 15 to 57. They said their daughter will have surgery Monday to remove shrapnel from her chest and fix her lip.He mouth, the statement said, was "pretty bad but will heal and can be fixed." "Toddlers are funny because they can get shot but still want to run around a play," the statement said.The shooting began Saturday afternoon when a state trooper pulled over the suspect, described by authorities as a white male in his mid-30s and driving a gold-colored car, was pulled over for a traffic violation on Interstate 20 between Midland and Odessa.The driver opened fire on the trooper before fleeing westbound on the interstate, shooting his way to Odessa, stealing a mail truck and continuing his assault, police said.The suspect then shot one Odessa officer and one Midland Police Department officer before authorities returned fire and killed the suspect near a Cinergy movie theater in Odessa.Shauna Saxton, an Odessa grandmother, described to CBS7 a harrowing encounter with the shooter as she was driving in the area. Oh, he killed him." But it was not clear who was shooting.Police initially said five people were confirmed dead and 21 injured, but later updated the death total to seven.