Texas suspect wanted by police was found dead after killing 1 person and injuring 10 others in shooting

By Holly Yan, Meridith Edwards, Dalia Faheid, CNN

(CNN) — Nearly a dozen people were shot in West Texas on Friday morning, prompting an hourslong standoff and myriad questions about what led up to the mass shooting.

Of the 11 victims, one died at the scene and 10 others were injured, officials said Friday. The suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a law enforcement source told CNN.

Officers heard gunfire coming from a building in the 4600 block of West Wall Street, Police Chief Greg Snow said in a statement. Around 8 a.m. CT, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Midland Police Department responded, the DPS said in a statement.

When they arrived, the suspect, identified as Victor Mata Villarreal, 45, of Odessa, fired shots at officers and bystanders, then barricaded himself inside an abandoned veterinary clinic, police said.

Officers immediately established a perimeter around the building and, after a standoff, they found the suspect dead in the building at around 12:30 p.m., authorities said.

Villarreal was a fugitive who authorities had been searching for since Wednesday. He was wanted for attempted capital murder of a peace officer after firing multiple shots at a police officer during a high-speed chase on Wednesday, the DPS said.

Villarreal may have turned off his cell phone to avoid attempts to track his location, but the phone began sending signals again this morning in the area, according to multiple law enforcement sources. As police closed in on him today, the shooter began firing at pedestrians and drivers apparently randomly, the sources added.

How the shooting unfolded

Brenda Bowen, the manager of All American Collision, said she saw “a man (randomly) shooting at cars driving by.” Her business went on lockdown as the standoff unfolded.

A SWAT vehicle broke through a fence, and officers ran into an abandoned building where the suspect was holed up, witnesses told CNN.

Andrea Mendias at the nearby Loop 250 Collision Center said she saw about 20 SWAT officers run inside.

After a sheriff’s deputy came to view the shop’s video, authorities told Mendias they believed the suspect was in the building next door, she said.

Midland Memorial Hospital received nine victims from the shooting, spokesperson Tasa Richardson said in a statement to CNN.

Five victims were discharged as of Friday afternoon. Three others have left the operating room and one remains there, Richardson said.

The hospital went on lockdown around 8:20 a.m. CT “due to an active shooter event,” Richardson said. Shortly after officials said the suspect was found dead, the lockdown was lifted.

Midland is in West Texas, about halfway between Fort Worth and El Paso.

The FBI is at the scene assisting the Midland Police Department with its investigation, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post Friday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement saying he is “deeply saddened by the senseless act of violence in Midland.”

“We are praying for the victims, their families, and the entire community,” Abbott said. “I have been briefed on the matter and commend the swift response from the Midland Police Department, DPS and all assisting law enforcement agencies.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Brad Parks and Jeremy Grisham contributed to this report.

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