Texas Gunman Who Killed 7 Had Previously Failed Background Check for Firearm

Texas Gunman Who Killed 7 Had Previously Failed Background Check for Firearm

Odessa police officers park their vehicles outside Music City Mall in Odessa, Texas, as they investigate areas following a deadly shooting in the area of Odessa and Midland on Aug. 31, 2019. Jacy Lewis/Reporter-Telegram via AP

The gunman who killed seven people and wounded 23 others in a rolling rampage across West Texas obtained an assault-style rifle despite failing a background check, state and law enforcement officials said on Monday.

The gunman, identified by police as Seth Aaron Ator, 36, carried out the shooting spree in the neighboring cities of Midland and Odessa on Saturday, a short time after he was fired from his trucking job. He called local emergency 911 responders and then an FBI tip line to make rambling statements, officials said.