The Latest: Hospital says it has 7 in critical condition

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — The Latest on a shooting in West Texas (all times local):

2:30 p.m.

Odessa police say the man who killed seven people in West Texas has been identified as Seth Aaron Ator.

Police posted the update on Facebook. They say he is a 36-year-old from Odessa. They didn't provide any additional info.

State police attempted to stop Ator on Saturday for a traffic violation, when he opened fire. They say he went on more than 10-mile shooting rampage, hijacking a mail carrier truck and firing at random as he drove in the area of Odessa and Midland.

He shot more than 20 people before being killed by officers outside a movie theater. The dead ranged in age from 15 to 57 years old.

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2 p.m.

Two law enforcement officials say the man who killed seven people in West Texas has been identified as Seth Ator.

The officials spoke to The Associated Press on Sunday but were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Records show Ator was 36 years old.

State police attempted to stop Ator on Saturday for a traffic violation, when he opened fire. They say he went on more than 10-mile shooting rampage, hijacking a mail carrier truck and firing at random as he drove in the area of Odessa and Midland.

He shot more than 20 people before being killed by officers outside a movie theater. The dead ranged in age from 15 to 57 years old.

Authorities said the gunman had a criminal record but did not elaborate.

-- Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Michael Balsamo contributed from Washington

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1 p.m.

Authorities say a gunman who killed seven people during a rampage in West Texas used an "AR-type weapon" while opening fire at random as he was chased by police.

FBI agent Christopher Combs said Sunday that federal investigators believe the gunman had no connection to terrorism. Authorities say they've identified the gunman but refused to publicly say his name at a news conference.

Police eventually killed the shooter. Authorities told reporters that the gunman had a criminal record but did not elaborate.

The shooting began with Texas state troopers pulling over a driver for failing to signal a left turn. One trooper was shot, but authorities say he's expected to recover.

Police say those killed in Saturday's attack were between the ages of 15 and 57 years old. Authorities say they're processing more than 15 scenes in the investigation.

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12:35 p.m.

Authorities say the seven people killed in a shooting rampage in West Texas range in age from 15 to 57.

Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said at a news conference Sunday that authorities have no definitive answers yet about a motive in Saturday's shooting.

It began with Texas state troopers pulling over a driver for failing to signal a left turn. Police say the driver went on a more than 10-mile shooting rampage, hijacking a mail carrier truck and firing at random as he drove in the area of Odessa and Midland. He shot more than 20 people before being killed by officers outside a movie theater.

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12:15 p.m.

The medical director of an emergency care center says he witnessed part of a shooting rampage in West Texas that left seven people dead before police killed the gunman.

Dr. Nathaniel Ott says he heard shots around 3 p.m. Saturday while at work in Odessa. He rushed outside to find a woman in the driver's seat of an SUV bleeding from a gunshot wound in the arm. Ott says a paramedic put a tourniquet on the woman's arm and he ran back inside to get a bag of fluids and an IV.

They then loaded the woman into a police cruiser to be driven to a nearby trauma center. He doesn't know how she's doing now.

Ott says that as they were working, the shooter drove back by the intersection, followed by police. He says the gunman drove within 30 feet of him. He says of the shooter: "He was just everywhere."

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11:30 a.m.

A number of looser gun restrictions are taking effect in Texas as authorities investigate why a man fled a traffic stop and went on a shooting rampage, leaving at least seven people dead. Police eventually killed the shooter.

New laws easing firearm restrictions in Texas churches and increasing the number of armed teachers took effect Sunday. The measures were signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott this year following a legislative session that was applauded by the National Rifle Association.

Texas expanded gun rights following a 2017 mass shooting at a church that left more than two dozen dead and a 2018 mass shooting at high school that left 10 dead.

Abbott was scheduled to visit Odessa on Sunday. He met twice with lawmakers this past week in wake of a mass shooting Aug. 3in the Texas border city of El Paso that left 22 dead. Abbott has remained noncommittal about new gun laws.

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10:40 a.m.

President Donald Trump is praising law enforcement in West Texas after police say at least seven people were killed when a gunman randomly opened fire on people after fleeing a traffic stop. Police eventually killed the shooter.

Trump on Sunday called the shooting rampage "A very tough and sad situation!" in a tweet. It came just weeks after another Texas mass shooting at Walmart in El Paso that left 22 people dead.

The shootings have reignited a debate in the U.S. over gun control. Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania told ABC's "This Week" that Trump is "very interested in doing something meaningful" but said he couldn't guarantee an outcome.

Democratic presidential contenders are intensifying their criticism of Trump and Republicans. Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke condemned expressions of "thoughts and prayers" as insufficient following Saturday's shooting in his home state.

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9:15 a.m.

Odessa police say the death toll in a West Texas shooting rampage is now seven after a man stopped by state troopers opened fire and fled, shooting people at random. Police later shot the gunman.

Odessa police spokesman Steve LeSueur said Sunday that at least one person remains in "life-threatening" condition. Authorities have said the gunman shot more than 20 people before being killed by officers outside a movie theater.

Police say the shooter was a white man in his 30s but have not released a name or possible motive.

The shooter hijacked a mail carrier truck on Saturday afternoon and fired at random as he drove in the area of Odessa and Midland.

Odessa police had scheduled a news conference for noon.

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9 a.m.

The acting U.S. homeland security secretary calls a mass shooting in West Texas that left at least five people dead "extraordinarily concerning" and describes it and other recent mass shootings as a "homeland security threat."

Kevin McAleenan told ABC's "This Week" that Homeland Security Department officials will be "following up aggressively" on the West Texas shooting but didn't want to jump to any conclusions about the causes or motive.

It began with Texas state troopers pulling over a driver for failing to signal a left turn. Police say the driver went on a more than 10-mile shooting rampage Saturday afternoon, hijacking a mail carrier truck and firing at random as he drove in the area of Odessa and Midland. He shot more than 20 people before being killed by officers outside a movie theater.

When asked if recent mass shootings should be considered a homeland security threat, McAleenan said: "They are absolutely a homeland security threat."

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1 a.m.

At least five people are dead in West Texas after a man stopped by state troopers for failing to signal a left turn opened fire and fled. Authorities say the gunman shot more than 20 people as he drove before being killed by officers outside a movie theater.

Police in Odessa plan a Sunday morning news conference to update the investigation into the chaotic rampage during which the suspect hijacked a mail carrier truck and fired at random as he drove in the area of Odessa and Midland.

The two cities are in the heart of Texas oil country, more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) west of Dallas.

Police have only identified the gunman as a man in his 30s and have not offered a motive.

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8:30 p.m.

The CEO of Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, Russell Tippin, says a total of 13 shooting victims have been treated at the hospital, including one who has died. It was not immediately clear if the deceased person was among the five dead previously cited by law enforcement authorities.

Tippin says seven of the shooting victims are listed in critical condition, including several who have already completed surgeries, and two others are in serious condition.

One shooting victim, a child under the age of 2, was transferred to another facility and two others were treated and released, Tippin said. Tippin did not say where the child was transferred.

Tippin previously said that the hospital was treating 14 shooting victims. But he said that one of the patients he included earlier was injured in an incident unrelated to the shooting.

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8:20 p.m.

Authorities say a mass shooting in West Texas began when a man being pulled over by state troopers started shooting through the rear window of his car with a rifle.

Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger says Saturday that one of two state troopers conducting the traffic stop was shot. She says the suspect then fled "and continued shooting innocent people," including two other police officers.

Authorities say a total of three law enforcement officers were shot. At least five people died. There were at least 21 civilian gunshot victims.

Cesinger says the trooper is in serious but stable condition. The two police officers are in stable condition at a local hospital.

Cesinger says no one else was in the shooter's vehicle.

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6:55 p.m.

Russell Tippin, CEO of Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, says 14 shooting victims are being treated at the hospital, but he did not give their conditions or other information about the victims.

Tippin says social workers and professional counselors are at the hospital to provide support to the families of shooting victims. He also said the hospital has been locked down for the safety of the staff and patients.

He says: "Right now the hospital is stable, it's secure."

Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke has said that at least five people died from the shooting. He said three law enforcement officers were injured and at least 21 civilians were shot.

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6:30 p.m.

Police say the suspect killed after a West Texas shooting spree was a white male in his 30s.

Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke declined to name him but said he has some idea who he is.

He says at least 21 people have been injured. At least five people are dead.

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6:10 p.m.

Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke says that at least 21 people have been injured by gunfire and five killed in a shooting in West Texas.

At a news conference Saturday, Gerke also says that at least three law enforcement officers were among those shot.

He spoke after a chaotic afternoon during which police reported that a suspect hijacked a U.S. Postal Service vehicle and began firing at random in the area of Odessa and Midland, hitting multiple people. Police initially reported that there could be more than one shooter, but Gerke says authorities now believe it was one shooter.

Gerke says he believes the threat is over but authorities remain vigilant.

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5:30 p.m.

Police said there are "multiple gunshot victims" in West Texas after reports of two suspects opening fire on Saturday in the area of Midland and Odessa.

Midland police said at least one suspect was shot and killed near the Cinergy movie theater in Odessa.

One or possibly two suspects hijacked a U.S. Postal Service vehicle and were firing at random, hitting multiple people, Odessa police said.

"At this time there are multiple gunshot victims," Odessa police said in a posting on Facebook.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has urged residents to avoid major highways in the area, including Interstate 20.

No other details were immediately available.

Odessa is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Midland. Both are more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) west of Dallas.