The Latest: Source: Mental health reason for 2014 gun denial
Crime scene tape surrounds the home of Seth Aaron Ator, the alleged gunman in a West Texas rampage Saturday, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, near Odessa, Texas. Officers killed 36-year-old Ator on Saturday outside a busy Odessa movie theater after a spate of violence that spanned 10 miles (16 kilometers), killing multiple people and injuring around two dozen others. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
CORRECTS SPELLING OF VICTIM’S FIRST NAME TO LEILAH INSTEAD OF LEILA - High School students Celeste Lujan, left, and Yasmin Natera mourn their friend Leilah Hernandez, one of the victims of the Saturday shooting in Odessa, at a memorial service Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Katelyn Cooper pets a comfort dog during a vigil, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, in Odessa, Texas, for victims of a shooting spree the day before. (Jacy Lewis/Reporter-Telegram via AP)
Officials continue to work the scene, Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, where teenager Leilah Hernandez was fatally shot at a car dealership during Saturday’s shooting rampage. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
People attend a vigil for victims of a shooting spree the day before, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, in Odessa, Texas. (Jacy Lewis/Reporter-Telegram via AP)
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)
Mira Marquez, of Midland, Texas, folds her hands in prayer during a prayer service, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, for the victims of a shooting spree the day before. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Midland, Texas, Mayor Jerry Morales, left, embraces Odessa, Texas, Mayor David Turner following a news conference at the University of Texas Permian Basin in Odessa, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019. (Ryan Michalesko/The Dallas Morning News via AP)
A sidewalk is filled with chalk messages following a prayer service, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, for the victims of a shooting spree the day before. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Dancer Maisha Morris dances during a memorial prayer service, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, for the victims of a shooting spree the day before. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
People attend a memorial service for the victims of a shooting spree the day before, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
A woman reaches for a bunch of flowers during a memorial service for the victims of Saturday’s shootings at a memorial service Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Law enforcement officials process the crime scene Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, from Saturday’s shooting which ended with the alleged shooter being shot dead by police in a stolen mail van, right. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Officials continue to work the scene, Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, where teenager Leilah Hernandez was fatally shot at a car dealership during Saturday’s shooting rampage. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Officials continue to work the scene, Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, where teenager Leilah Hernandez was fatally shot at a car dealership during Saturday’s shooting rampage. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Officials continue to work the scene, Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, where teenager Leilah Hernandez was fatally shot at a car dealership during Saturday’s shooting rampage. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
A drilling rig can be seen behind the home of Seth Ator, the alleged gunman in a West Texas rampage Saturday, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, near Odessa, Texas. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Daniel Munoz reaches for his injured back during an interview, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas. Munoz was injured in Saturday’s shooting. The tattoo on his right hand is a biblical reference, that the wages of sin are death and God’s gift is everlasting life. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The home of Seth Aaron Ator, the alleged gunman in a West Texas rampage Saturday, is pictured Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, near Odessa, Texas. Officers killed 36-year-old Ator on Saturday outside a busy Odessa movie theater after a spate of violence that spanned 10 miles (16 kilometers), killing multiple people and injuring around two dozen others. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
This undated photo provided by the City of Odessa via FBI shows Seth Aaron Ator. The gunman in a West Texas rampage “was on a long spiral of going down” and had been fired from his oil services job the morning he killed seven people, calling 911 both before and after the shooting began, authorities said Monday, Sept. 2, 2019. (City of Odessa/FBI via AP)
Crime scene tape surrounds the home of Seth Aaron Ator, the alleged gunman in a West Texas rampage Saturday, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, near Odessa, Texas. Officers killed 36-year-old Ator on Saturday outside a busy Odessa movie theater after a spate of violence that spanned 10 miles (16 kilometers), killing multiple people and injuring around two dozen others. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Crime scene tape surrounds the home of Seth Aaron Ator, the alleged gunman in a West Texas rampage Saturday, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, near Odessa, Texas. Officers killed 36-year-old Ator on Saturday outside a busy Odessa movie theater after a spate of violence that spanned 10 miles (16 kilometers), killing multiple people and injuring around two dozen others. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
CORRECTS SPELLING OF VICTIM’S FIRST NAME TO LEILAH INSTEAD OF LEILA - High School students Celeste Lujan, left, and Yasmin Natera mourn their friend Leilah Hernandez, one of the victims of the Saturday shooting in Odessa, at a memorial service Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
CORRECTS SPELLING OF VICTIM’S FIRST NAME TO LEILAH INSTEAD OF LEILA - High School students Celeste Lujan, left, and Yasmin Natera mourn their friend Leilah Hernandez, one of the victims of the Saturday shooting in Odessa, at a memorial service Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Katelyn Cooper pets a comfort dog during a vigil, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, in Odessa, Texas, for victims of a shooting spree the day before. (Jacy Lewis/Reporter-Telegram via AP)
Katelyn Cooper pets a comfort dog during a vigil, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, in Odessa, Texas, for victims of a shooting spree the day before. (Jacy Lewis/Reporter-Telegram via AP)
Officials continue to work the scene, Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, where teenager Leilah Hernandez was fatally shot at a car dealership during Saturday’s shooting rampage. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Officials continue to work the scene, Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, where teenager Leilah Hernandez was fatally shot at a car dealership during Saturday’s shooting rampage. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
People attend a vigil for victims of a shooting spree the day before, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, in Odessa, Texas. (Jacy Lewis/Reporter-Telegram via AP)
People attend a vigil for victims of a shooting spree the day before, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, in Odessa, Texas. (Jacy Lewis/Reporter-Telegram via AP)
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)
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)
Mira Marquez, of Midland, Texas, folds her hands in prayer during a prayer service, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, for the victims of a shooting spree the day before. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Mira Marquez, of Midland, Texas, folds her hands in prayer during a prayer service, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, for the victims of a shooting spree the day before. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Midland, Texas, Mayor Jerry Morales, left, embraces Odessa, Texas, Mayor David Turner following a news conference at the University of Texas Permian Basin in Odessa, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019. (Ryan Michalesko/The Dallas Morning News via AP)
Midland, Texas, Mayor Jerry Morales, left, embraces Odessa, Texas, Mayor David Turner following a news conference at the University of Texas Permian Basin in Odessa, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019. (Ryan Michalesko/The Dallas Morning News via AP)
A sidewalk is filled with chalk messages following a prayer service, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, for the victims of a shooting spree the day before. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
A sidewalk is filled with chalk messages following a prayer service, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, for the victims of a shooting spree the day before. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Dancer Maisha Morris dances during a memorial prayer service, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, for the victims of a shooting spree the day before. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Dancer Maisha Morris dances during a memorial prayer service, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, for the victims of a shooting spree the day before. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
People attend a memorial service for the victims of a shooting spree the day before, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
People attend a memorial service for the victims of a shooting spree the day before, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
A woman reaches for a bunch of flowers during a memorial service for the victims of Saturday’s shootings at a memorial service Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
A woman reaches for a bunch of flowers during a memorial service for the victims of Saturday’s shootings at a memorial service Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Law enforcement officials process the crime scene Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, from Saturday’s shooting which ended with the alleged shooter being shot dead by police in a stolen mail van, right. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Law enforcement officials process the crime scene Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, from Saturday’s shooting which ended with the alleged shooter being shot dead by police in a stolen mail van, right. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Officials continue to work the scene, Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, where teenager Leilah Hernandez was fatally shot at a car dealership during Saturday’s shooting rampage. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Officials continue to work the scene, Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, where teenager Leilah Hernandez was fatally shot at a car dealership during Saturday’s shooting rampage. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Officials continue to work the scene, Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, where teenager Leilah Hernandez was fatally shot at a car dealership during Saturday’s shooting rampage. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Officials continue to work the scene, Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, where teenager Leilah Hernandez was fatally shot at a car dealership during Saturday’s shooting rampage. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Officials continue to work the scene, Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, where teenager Leilah Hernandez was fatally shot at a car dealership during Saturday’s shooting rampage. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Officials continue to work the scene, Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, in Odessa, Texas, where teenager Leilah Hernandez was fatally shot at a car dealership during Saturday’s shooting rampage. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
A drilling rig can be seen behind the home of Seth Ator, the alleged gunman in a West Texas rampage Saturday, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, near Odessa, Texas. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
A drilling rig can be seen behind the home of Seth Ator, the alleged gunman in a West Texas rampage Saturday, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, near Odessa, Texas. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Daniel Munoz reaches for his injured back during an interview, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas. Munoz was injured in Saturday’s shooting. The tattoo on his right hand is a biblical reference, that the wages of sin are death and God’s gift is everlasting life. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Daniel Munoz reaches for his injured back during an interview, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Odessa, Texas. Munoz was injured in Saturday’s shooting. The tattoo on his right hand is a biblical reference, that the wages of sin are death and God’s gift is everlasting life. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The home of Seth Aaron Ator, the alleged gunman in a West Texas rampage Saturday, is pictured Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, near Odessa, Texas. Officers killed 36-year-old Ator on Saturday outside a busy Odessa movie theater after a spate of violence that spanned 10 miles (16 kilometers), killing multiple people and injuring around two dozen others. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The home of Seth Aaron Ator, the alleged gunman in a West Texas rampage Saturday, is pictured Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, near Odessa, Texas. Officers killed 36-year-old Ator on Saturday outside a busy Odessa movie theater after a spate of violence that spanned 10 miles (16 kilometers), killing multiple people and injuring around two dozen others. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
This undated photo provided by the City of Odessa via FBI shows Seth Aaron Ator. The gunman in a West Texas rampage “was on a long spiral of going down” and had been fired from his oil services job the morning he killed seven people, calling 911 both before and after the shooting began, authorities said Monday, Sept. 2, 2019. (City of Odessa/FBI via AP)
This undated photo provided by the City of Odessa via FBI shows Seth Aaron Ator. The gunman in a West Texas rampage “was on a long spiral of going down” and had been fired from his oil services job the morning he killed seven people, calling 911 both before and after the shooting began, authorities said Monday, Sept. 2, 2019. (City of Odessa/FBI via AP)
ODESSA, Texas (AP) — The Latest on the shooting rampage in West Texas (all times local):
4:35 p.m.
A law enforcement official says the gunman who killed seven people in Texas has failed a background check in 2014 because of a “mental health issue.”
The official tells The Associated Press on Tuesday that Seth Ator had attempted to purchase a firearm in 2014 but was denied after a federal background check.
The official said Ator was able to obtain the rifle used in Saturday’s rampage in West Texas through a private gun sale, skirting the background check process.
Authorities said Ator killed seven people and injured around two dozen others during his rampage on Saturday in Odessa, Texas.
-- Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo reported from Washington, D.C.
___
2:15 p.m.
A law enforcement official says a gunman who killed seven people in West Texas had obtained his AR-style rifle through a private sale, evading a federal background check.
The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Tuesday because the person was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.
Officials said Seth Aaron Ator had previously tried to obtain a gun but failed a federal background check.
Obtaining the weapon through a private sale, as opposed to buying it through a licensed gun dealer, would’ve allowed Ator to skirt the background check.
Authorities said Ator killed seven people and injured around two dozen others during his rampage on Saturday in Odessa, Texas.
-- Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo reported from Washington, D.C.
___
12 a.m.
A neighbor of the gunman who killed seven people in West Texas described him as “a violent, aggressive person” that would fire his guns at all hours of the night.
Rocio Gutierrez told The Associated Press on Monday that her family has lived near Seth Ator for the past five months. But she says they were afraid of him.
Gutierrez says Ator would go out at night and shoot at animals, mostly rabbits.
FBI special agent Christopher Coombs also said Monday that the 36-year-old Ator lived at “a strange residence” and that the condition of his home reflected “what his mental state was going into this.”
Ator was killed by police outside an Odessa movie theater on Saturday after opening fire on state troopers during a traffic stop and then fleeing, shooting at random passers-by and vehicles.