One killed, nine hospitalized in Midland shooting

A Friday morning shooting in Midland, Texas, killed one person and sent nine others to the hospital before the suspected attacker was confirmed dead after a standoff with police, authorities said.

The city government said the “active shooter incident has been resolved,” but warned that the scene remained active as investigators continued their work. Road closures in the area were expected to stay in place “for the foreseeable future,” the city said in a social media post quoted by Al Jazeera.

“The active shooter incident has been resolved, and the suspect is confirmed deceased,” the post said. “The scene remains active and has not been cleared. Road closures in the area are expected to remain in place for the foreseeable future as the investigation continues.”

Law enforcement officers rushed to a street in an industrial area of Midland after reports of shots fired shortly after 8 a.m. local time, according to local media reports cited by The Guardian. Midland is about 300 miles west of Fort Worth and Dallas and has about 140,000 residents.

Authorities said the possible suspect was in a standoff with officers for about two hours, The Guardian reported. Al Jazeera reported that the suspected attacker had barricaded themselves in a building for several hours before being confirmed dead.

The incident ended near a veterinary hospital, The Guardian reported. Andrea Mendias, who works at an auto body shop near that hospital, told The Associated Press that it sounded as if at least 40 shots had been fired. Video from Mendias showed officers emerging from the back of an armored police vehicle and police deploying robots in the area, according to The Guardian.

Midland Mayor Lori Blong confirmed the shooting Friday morning and said officers were working to contain the situation as it unfolded. At a news conference, she said, “Our thoughts and prayers are absolutely with the victims, and with their families.”

Midland Memorial Hospital said four victims were in operating rooms and five others were in stable condition, The Guardian reported. Al Jazeera reported that the hospital said four victims were undergoing surgeries and five others were in stable condition. The hospital’s emergency department was reportedly placed on lockdown as a security precaution, according to The Guardian.

Midland sits in the heart of Texas’ oil region. The city was near the site of another deadly shooting rampage six years ago, when a gunman who had been fired from his oil services job killed seven people and wounded two dozen others while firing at random as he drove around the Odessa and Midland areas.