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Sheriff makes arrest of ‘possible serial gunman’ near Odessa after 4 shootings this week

West Texas authorities late Friday afternoon announced the arrest of a “possible serial gunman” in the Odessa area after four similar shootings, one of them deadly, occurred this week.

The Ector County Sheriff, who didn’t immediately release the suspect’s name, had urged residents to be “cautious” and report any suspicious behavior to 911.

All of the shootings involved a suspect targeting broken down cars, said Sheriff Mike Griffis.

The suspect was believed to be driving a white pickup truck, likely with an extended cab or crew-cab, according to the sheriff. Authorities said descriptions of the gunman initially varied.

Three of the shootings occurred on Tuesday, between 12:45 a.m. and 4:42 p.m., according to the sheriff.

One man was shot in the abdomen while he was sitting in his parked car and transported to Medical Center Hospital, the sheriff’s office said. He has since been released. The other two shootings on Tuesday did not result in any injuries.

The fourth incident, on Thursday night at 10:42 p.m., left one man dead.

A gunman approached the victim under the guise that he would help with his broken down car, but instead shot and killed him, authorities said.

The weapons used in the shootings all appear to be a handgun, but with different calibers, authorities said.

Sheriff Griffis had said multiple agencies were searching for the shooter and had vowed earlier Friday to “bring him to justice.”

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