Devine native, Casey Boyd, works in the Odessa/Midland area and was traveling on the access road of IH-20 when she pulled into a gas station and saw state troopers yelling and screaming at her and other people telling them to “go home…no questions asked!” Little did she know a suspect was on a shooting rampage and he was headed her direction at that time. The tragic shootings injured 22 and killed 7 people.
According to multiple national news stations, the shooting began with the routine traffic stop. The gunman opened fire on a pair of troopers through the rear-view window, wounding one. He then took off in a gold-colored car, shooting randomly for more than 10 miles, firing at motorists and pedestrians before hijacking a U.S. Postal Service truck. The suspect was recently fired from his trucking job, just hours before the rampage.
“Yesterday I left my Midland Yard after completing paperwork and dispatching some drivers out… once they left I left. At (2:47pm page time) they loaded up and left the yard out on IH-20 towards Odessa. Our yard is on IH 20 exit number 126… the most damage was done at the130 mile mark just four miles away from me. I stayed on the access road from work and was at the traffic light waiting to get onto Loop 250 North, which is where the shooter was headed during the time that I was approaching the loop.”
“There were five troopers that passed me on the loop, while on the other side of the loop there was about 30 officers headed towards the direction I was just coming from… I stopped at the store to get cigarettes and an officer pulled in screaming go home now, no questions asked get home!!!”
“So I traveled to my supervisor’s house who lives (2) blocks from 191 which is where the gunman ended his actions and he was stopped by the police and there was about 40 shots fired. I can still hear them ringing in the neighborhood… the crisp shots and then it was silence- the neighborhoods closed up… stores closed… roads closed… it was like what you’d see Christmas Morning, not a soul in sight.”
“They refused anyone leaving the city limits until the confirmation was addressed that all this had ended… mind you we didn’t know what was going on or I would have had my driver on lock down…. The whole community assumed that it was another tragic trucking accident on the highway but never an accident of shooting victims and innocent people just traveling. Two hours into the scene, one of my drivers was coming back to the shop on Highway 20 coming into Odessa/Midland from Pecos. He saw the 18 wheeler that landed into a building as he lost control of the rig because he was shot in the head.”
This community is in shock, and it’s amazing how the community has come together. People are out here giving blood, people out on the interstate donating bleach to clean the roads. Some of these large oil field individuals have donated large amounts of money to the hospital to keep the supplies coming to help these people. It’s been a scary 24 hours here… I am so thankful I am alive. Prayers for everyone–this is horrible- we are used to seeing things like this on the TV… never would I dream it would be right where I am.”