Texas Gunman Called FBI, 911 Before and During Shooting Rampage
BLITZER: Our breaking news coverage of Hurricane Dorian continues in a moment. But there is also breaking news in the West Texas shooting rampage that left seven people dead and almost two dozen injured. Investigators now say the gunman made multiple calls to police and the FBI. CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Odessa, Texas, for us right now. Ed, some very disturbing new details emerging tonight.</s>ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are indeed, Wolf. Investigators say that on Saturday, the suspect made at least four different phone calls to law enforcement agencies, two of those phone calls were before the shooting rampage happened. And investigators say that actually while the shooting was happening, he was calling 911 multiple times to describe himself as the person who was doing it. Dispatchers in the meantime were frantically trying to figure out what exactly they were talking about. But investigators say that Seth Ator was fired from his job as truck driver earlier in the day, and called 911 from that office. But by the time they'd arrived there, police arrived there, he was already gone. He was later pulled over by DPS state troopers and that's when the shooting rampage started. But FBI investigators who have been combing through the gunman's home say the firing from the job wasn't what sent him on the rampage.</s>CHRISTOPHER COMBS, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: He showed up to work in a very distressed mental state. So, it's not because he got fired, right? This does not happen because he was fired, which other active shooters have occurred. When he showed up to work, he was already enraged.</s>LAVANDERA: And, Wolf, there is also serious questions being raised tonight about where exactly this gunman obtained the assault-style rifle weapon that was used in this shooting spree. Investigators now say that at some point, the gunman failed a background check, but still somehow managed to obtain this firearm. Investigators say they are aggressively trying to pursue where he obtained it from. But, of course, in the debate around gun control right now, this really raises a lot of serious questions about what exactly was in the background check, why did he fail it initially and how he was able to obtain a firearm of this magnitude. So, a lot of serious questions revolving around there. And then, late this afternoon, the city of Odessa put out the final list of the victims, seven victims at all, with the full names. One of them was a 35-year-old man from El Paso which is as we all know has dealt with a tragic shooting of its own. Wolf, back to you.</s>BLITZER: Yes, very sad indeed. Ed Lavandera on the scene for us, thank you. And stay with us. There is more breaking news just ahead.