(Reuters) - The gunman who killed seven people and wounded 23 others in a rolling rampage across West Texas obtained an assault-style rifle despite failing a background check, state and law enforcement officials said on Monday.
He called local emergency 911 responders and then an FBI tip line to make rambling statements, officials said.
It was the second mass shooting in Texas in four weeks, and the state’s Republican governor, Greg Abbott, expressed frustration on Monday the suspect had a firearm.
It also was not immediately clear when or why he had failed the background check.
A man holds flowers and a candle as people gather for a vigil following Saturday's shooting in Odessa, Texas, U.S. September 1, 2019.
Ator was later cornered by officers in the parking lot of a cinema complex in Odessa where he was shot and killed.
The rampage came about a month after a gunman from the Dallas area killed 22 people on Aug. 3 at a Walmart store about 255 miles (410 km) west of Midland in El Paso, Texas. »
