He was already wanted after allegedly trying to shoot a police officer days earlier.
MIDLAND, Texas — The Midland Police Department has identified the suspect who opened fire on bystanders on Friday, leaving one dead and 10 others injured in West Texas.
Officials identified the suspect, who was killed in the shooting during a standoff with police, as Victor Mata Villarreal. The 45-year-old man had been wanted for attempted capital murder of a peace officer after firing multiple shots at a Midland police officer during a vehicle pursuit on Wednesday, June 10.
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Villarreal resided in Odessa, Texas, according to the police department.
Around 11:23 p.m. on Wednesday, police said they attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle in the 4800 block of Anetta Drive. That vehicle fled for several blocks before coming to a stop in the 4700 block of Comanche Drive, at which point the driver, identified as Villarreal, exited the vehicle and began firing multiple rounds at an officer.
Police returned fire, and Villarreal left the scene in the vehicle. The vehicle was later reportedly found abandoned a short distance from the scene.
The officer wasn’t injured.
On Friday morning, police responded after gunfire was heard coming from a building on West Wall Street. They cleared the area, and armored units were deployed.
The building, near the area of Business 20 and Eisenhower Drive, was quickly surrounded, and the suspect remained inside. Police later said the suspect was dead.
Midland Memorial Hospital said four of the patients it received required surgery, and one of them has been moved to recovery. Five victims were deemed stable, three have been discharged, and the other two remain in the hospital.
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