Executive orders address deadly mass shootings
AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott on Sept. 5 issued eight executive orders in hopes of preventing further mass shootings.
Abbott’s orders came days after seven people were killed and 25 injured in multiple shootings by a lone gunman along thoroughfares connecting the cities of Odessa and Midland on Aug. 31. The suspect fired at law enforcement officers and civilians, including while driving a hijacked postal van between the two cities. Law enforcement officers brought the rampage to a halt in an exchange of gunfire resulting in the death of the suspect when the van he was driving had come to a stop after ramming a police vehicle. The suspect, a 36-year-old white male armed with an assault rifle, was identified as Seth Aaron Ator of Odessa.
Posted online at gov.texas.gov, Abbott’s orders enhance reporting requirements and ensure law enforcement and the public have the training, tools and resources to provide and respond to suspicious activity reports, Abbott said. Ordinary citizens’ reports of suspicious activities are accepted via phone call to (512) 424-7981 or (866) 786-5972; by fax to (512) 424-7418; or by email to TXFusionCenter@dps.texas.gov.
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