Seth Ator

Mass Murderer

Seth Ator’s 2019 Midland–Odessa Mass Shooting

Overview

On August 31, 2019, 36-year-old Seth Aaron Ator carried out a mobile mass shooting across the West Texas cities of Midland and Odessa. Over approximately an hour—from about 3:17 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. Central Time—he fired on motorists and pedestrians while driving, hijacked a United States Postal Service van, and was ultimately shot and killed by law enforcement near the Cinergy Odessa movie theater. In total, seven victims were killed and at least 25 people were injured, including three police officers.

Timeline and Locations

According to official accounts, the violence began at approximately 3:17 p.m. during a Texas Department of Public Safety traffic stop along Interstate 20 for a failure to signal. Ator shot a state trooper and fled westbound, firing at vehicles along I-20 and Loop 338 as he moved toward Odessa. He then entered commercial areas along TX-191, stopped at a car dealership where he opened fire on a family, and continued shooting in multiple locations across Odessa. He hijacked a USPS Ram C/V Tradesman by killing the 29-year-old letter carrier, then resumed the rampage through residential streets and major intersections—including East 42nd Street, John Ben Shepperd Parkway, East Yukon Road, and Faudree Road—before police disabled the stolen van near the evacuated Cinergy Odessa movie theater and fatally shot him after a brief gunfight.

Weapon and Method

Investigators identified Ator’s rifle as an AR-15–type semi-automatic (an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15). He conducted drive-by attacks from his vehicle, intermittently stopping to fire at close range, and used the hijacked USPS van to continue the assault before the final confrontation with officers. ...Read More

Confirmed Victims: (7)

Rodolfo Rudy Arco 57 yr old Male

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Midland–Odessa shootings - Wikipedia

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