These Are The Victims Of The Mass Shooting In Odessa, Texas

A postal worker and a 15-year-old girl are among those identified as victims in Saturday's rampage that left eight people dead, including the gunman.
LOADINGERROR LOADING

A postal worker, a 15-year-old girl, a U.S. Army veteran and a father of two are among the seven people identified as victims in a mass shooting in West Texas on Saturday ― the second such shooting in the state in less than a month.

A man armed with an “AR-type weapon” fled a traffic stop before opening fire on state troopers and random people in Odessa and Midland before being fatally shot by responding officers, authorities said.

Victims range in age from 15 to 57 years old. This is what we know about them so far.

Mary Granados

Postal worker Mary Granados, whose postal vehicle was allegedly hijacked by the suspect during the rampage, was identified by family as one of the fatalities.

Granados’ twin sister, Rosie, told CNN she was on the phone with the 29-year-old when she heard her suddenly scream.

“It was very painful. I just wanted to help her and I couldn’t. I thought she had got bit by a dog or something. I tried calling her name and she wouldn’t answer,” she said.

A damaged police vehicle and U.S. Postal Service van are seen blocked off with tape near where a gunman was shot and killed following a deadly shooting on Saturday.
A damaged police vehicle and U.S. Postal Service van are seen blocked off with tape near where a gunman was shot and killed following a deadly shooting on Saturday.
Cengiz Yar via Getty Images

Edwin Peregrino

Edwin Peregrino was standing outside his parents’ home in Odessa when he was fatally shot, his family said.

The 25-year-old had heard the gunshots from what he believed was far away when he went outside to investigate the commotion, his sister told The Washington Post.

As he stood outside, the gunman drove by and opened fire, killing him.

“It happened at our home, you think you’re safe at your own house,” 23-year-old Eritizi Peregrino, whose husband was also wounded in the attack, told the Post. “You’re not even safe at your own house.”

High School students Celeste Lujan, left, and Yasmin Natera, right, mourn their friend Leila Hernandez, one of the victims of the Saturday shooting in Odessa, at a memorial service on Sunday.
High School students Celeste Lujan, left, and Yasmin Natera, right, mourn their friend Leila Hernandez, one of the victims of the Saturday shooting in Odessa, at a memorial service on Sunday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Leilah Hernandez

Leilah Hernandez, who celebrated her quinceañera in May, was with family buying a new car for her older brother when the 15-year-old was fatally struck outside the car dealership, her family said.

“I guess he was just looking for someone to kill,” Leilah’s grandma, Nora Leyva, told The Washington Post of the gunman, who also wounded Leilah’s 18-year-old brother, Nathan.

Nathan reportedly had his arms wrapped around his sister when she was shot.

The Ector County Independent School District did not identify Leilah by name but confirmed that one of the shooting victims was a student in its district.

“We are heartbroken and outraged by the violence that struck our community and our school district today,” the district said in a statement on Twitter. “We are grateful for the first responders in the Odessa community, including our ECISD Police Officers, who have been outstanding and prevented an even greater loss of life.”

Joseph Griffith

Joseph Griffith, 40, was in his car with his wife and two kids when he was fatally shot, his sister, Carla Byrne, said.

“This maniac pulled up next to him and shot him, took away his life, murdered my baby brother. Like nothing,” she told The Washington Post. “We are so broken.”

Griffith’s wife, Becky, wrote in a Sunday morning Facebook post that she’d been unable to sleep and urged people to attend church to pray.

“I’ve been up most of the night and I’d like to ask you all to get up and go to church,” she said. “Pray for those still fighting for their lives, pray for those devastated by what they witnessed yesterday ... Get the word of God in your heart and love each other.”

Kameron Brown

Kameron Brown was reportedly also in his vehicle when he was shot and killed near Ratliff Stadium in Odessa.

Brown, an Army veteran who’d served in Afghanistan, was an employee of Standard Safety & Supply, an Odessa-based first-aid and fire protection service, according to the Arizona Republic.

He was reportedly in a company pick-up truck when he was shot.

“We are deeply saddened at the loss a member of our team,” Standard Safety & Supply said in a statement, confirming Brown’s death. “We ask that the privacy of our team member and his family be respected during this most difficult time.”

Officers inspect a car in the aftermath of Saturday's deadly shooting in Odessa, Texas.
Officers inspect a car in the aftermath of Saturday's deadly shooting in Odessa, Texas.
Cengiz Yar via Getty Images

Rodolfo Arco

Rodolfo Arco, 56, had been driving home from work when he was shot in the head and killed, NBC News reported. He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Bari Arco, and three daughters ages 3, 6 and 23.

Arco, who ran a trucking business, moved to Odessa from Las Vegas almost a year ago, his sister told the Republic. Maria Arco said her brother had chosen to relocate to Texas after the anniversary of the mass shooting at a Las Vegas country music festival.

“He felt that Odessa was the place to go,” she said. “He sold everything in Vegas and moved there, in the hopes that things would be safer for him and the family.”

Bullet holes are seen in a car window near an Olive Garden restaurant following Saturday's shooting in Odessa, Texas.
Bullet holes are seen in a car window near an Olive Garden restaurant following Saturday's shooting in Odessa, Texas.
Callaghan O'Hare / Reuters

Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke, who declined to identify the gunman by name at a press conference on Sunday, said 22 people were injured in addition to those who were killed, including three law enforcement officers. A motive for the attack is not yet known.

The youngest survivor is a 17-month-old girl who was struck in the face and chest with shrapnel, authorities said. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) read a text he said he had received from the child’s mother at a press conference on Sunday.

“Toddlers are funny because they can get shot but still want to run around and play,” he read. “Her mouth is pretty bad, but will heal and can be fixed. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like her jaw was hit. Just lips, teeth and tongue. She’s having surgery tomorrow to remove the shrapnel from her chest and to fix her lip and mouth and to get a better look at her tongue. We are thanking God for healing her and appreciate continued prayers.”

This story has been updated with additional information about the victims.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot