Hundreds mourn Odessa shooting victims at Texas vigil
The investigation continues into the suspected shooter as mourners remember the seven lives lost.
A former math teacher and father of two, a teenage girl leaving a car dealership after a new purchase and a young mail carrier were among the victims senselessly killed over the weekend after a crazed gunman went on a shooting spree that stretched across several locations in Texas.
Joseph Griffith, 40, was sitting at a traffic light Saturday with his wife and two children when a “maniac” pulled up next to the family’s car and fired, killing him, his oldest sister told The Washington Post.
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“We are so broken,” Carla Byrne said, recalling his uncanny sense of humor and his devotion to his family.
Joseph Griffith, 40, was sitting at a traffic light Saturday with his wife and two children when a “maniac” pulled up next to the family’s car and fired, killing him. (Social media)
“This maniac pulled up next to him and shot him, took away his life, murdered my baby brother. Like nothing,” she continued.
Griffith, who worked six days a week to support his family, previously worked as a math teacher and was described by a former student as “awesome.”
Seven people were killed and 22 more were injured Sunday after a lone gunman opened fire on police during a routine traffic stop. The suspect took off for more than 10 miles where he randomly fired shots at innocent bystanders before he was stopped by police at a movie theater in Odessa.
Leilah Hernadez, 15, was shot and killed at dealership while going with her 18-year-old brother to pick up a new truck. The girl’s grandmother told the Post Leilah’s brother wrapped around his sister once shots rang out but she was fatally struck near her collarbone.
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He was also shot in the arm.
Celeste Lujan, left, and Yasmin Natera hold a sign in honor of Leilah Hernandez during a vigil for victims of the shooting spree the day before, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin quad, in Odessa, Texas. (Jacy Lewis/Reporter-Telegram via AP)
Mary Granados, 29, was killed when the gunman hijacked the U.S. Postal Service truck she was driving. U.S. Postal Service officials said in a statement Sunday that they were "shocked and saddened" by the events, but were "especially grieving the loss of our postal family member."
Edwin Peregrino was killed after going into the front yard of his parents’ home in Odessa to investigate what he thought were gunshots.
The 25-year-old was killed when the gunman sped by and opened fire. He had stopped home to tell his parents about his new job and life in San Antonio.
"It happened at our home. You think you're safe at your own house," Eritizi Peregrino, his younger sister, said in an interview. "You're not even safe at your own house."
A 17-month-old girl was the youngest victim in Sunday’s shooting.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said at a press conference Sunday that she faces surgery Monday to remove shrapnel from her right chest. She also suffered injuries to her face.
Abbott says her mother, Kelby Davis, texted: "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.”
Three law enforcement officers were among the dozens injured.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
