The suspect in a mass shooting that killed seven over the weekend in Odessa, Texas, reportedly obtained the gun through a private sale, which does not require a background check in the state.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) had earlier stated that Seth Ator had failed a background check for a previous gun purchase and did not undergo one for the weapon used in the shooting, while authorities had said he had been flagged as a “prohibited person” legally prohibited from owning or buying a firearm.
In a private sale in Texas, gun owners are not allowed to sell firearms to buyers they know are flagged but are not obligated to conduct background checks or ask the buyer, according to ABC News.
{mosads}Ator, who was killed by police outside an Odessa movie theater, was reportedly arrested in 2001 for a misdemeanor offense that would not have precluded him from buying a gun.
Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said Ator was fired from Journey Oilfield Services on Saturday and that both Ator and the company called 911 shortly after the firing but that Ator had left by the time police arrived. FBI special agent Christopher Combs said Ator made a “rambling” statement to authorities over the phone.
The Hill has reached out to Abbott’s office for clarification.
The shooting has renewed the national focus on gun violence, which was already high following last month’s mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. Among other proposals, Democrats have repeatedly called for closing the so-called gun show loophole, which allows for some private gun sales without background checks.