Odessa Texas Shooter Identified by Police

Odessa Texas Shooter Identified by Police
Seth Aaron Ator, the man who the police said was responsible for the Aug. 31, 2019 shooting spree, after failing to stop for police at a traffic stop in Odessa, West Texas, is seen in a Facebook photo. Seth Ator/Facebook
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ODESSA, Texas—Authorities said Sunday they still could not explain why a man with an AR-style weapon opened fire during a routine traffic stop in West Texas to begin a terrifying, 10-mile rampage that killed seven people, injured 22 others and ended with officers gunning him down outside a movie theater.

Authorities identified the shooter as Seth Aaron Ator, 36, of Odessa. Online court records show Ator was arrested in 2001 for a misdemeanor offense that would not have prevented him from legally purchasing firearms in Texas, although authorities have not said where Ator got his weapon.