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Another mass shooting in America has left at least seven people dead. Two dozen more people were wounded in the rampage outside Odessa, Texas — the second mass shooting in the state in a month. The alleged gunman was killed by police, bringing the total death toll from the incident to eight.

The terrifying chain of events began with a traffic stop Saturday on an interstate in the heart of Texas' oil country. State troopers say the man, identified only as a white male in his 30s, pulled over for the traffic stop but then opened fire and took off.

Gunshots hit one trooper in the car that made the traffic stop, after the suspect failed to signal for a turn. The gunman then ditched his car and hijacked a postal service truck, unleashing more rounds as he drove away.

The gunman was eventually killed in a shootout with police outside a movie theater, but two more officers were among those left wounded. All three officers shot were said on Saturday night to be in stable condition.

An FBI spokesperson told CBS News early Sunday morning that six people were killed, not including the suspect, and 24 were wounded in total. An Odessa city official later confirmed another victim had died overnight in a hospital. Five of the victims were killed in Odessa and two in neighboring Midland. The suspect died in a hospital in Midland.

At least 10 victims remained in critical condition at two local hospitals.

Odessa police said in a statement that the suspect fired "at innocent civilians all over" the city. The youngest victim confirmed as of Sunday morning was a 17-month-old boy.

"This was a joint effort by a multitude of departments to find this animal and to bring him to justice," Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said.

As CBS News correspondent David Begnaud reports, the shooting came just a month after a gunman in El Paso killed 22 people when he opened fire in a Walmart store.

According to the Associated Press, Saturday's attack was the 25th mass shooting in the U.S. this year. That's as many as in all of 2018.

On Sunday, 10 new laws easing restrictions on guns take effect in Texas.

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“The status quo in Texas is unacceptable,” he said Sunday. “Action is needed.”

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Anderson is 17 months old, has shrapnel in her right chest, which thank God is superficial. She has a hole through her bottom lip and tongue and her front teeth were knocked out. She is alive. When others today are not alive. I ask you to continue praying for our hearts as we experience this, pray for complete healing of Anderson, pray for every other family in our same situation, or worse, today and pray for the shooters. Pray that whatever is causing them to do this will be defeated by God and they will stop shooting.

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A Texas Republican state representative said he opposes stricter gun laws and that people should instead be "praying for protection" hours after a mass shooting shook West Texas.

Republican Matt Schaefer posted on Facebook Saturday that "so-called gun-control solutions" won't "stop a person with evil intent," and that people should instead pray for victims and those with "evil intent."

"'Do something!' is the statement we keep hearing," he wrote. "As an elected official with a vote in Austin, let me tell you what I am NOT going to do. I am NOT going to use the evil acts of a handful of people to diminish the God-given rights of my fellow Texans. Period. None of these so-called gun-control solutions will work to stop a person with evil intent."

Later in the post he continues: "What can we do? YES to praying for victims. YES to praying for protection. YES to praying that God would transform the hearts of people with evil intent."

Schaefer wrote he supported "discipline in the homes" and "fathers not leaving their wives and children," while saying he opposes many proposals backed by Democratic presidential candidates -- universal background checks, so-called red flag gun laws, bans on AR-15s and high-capacity magazines and a mandatory gun buyback.

The Texas Republican wrote the "root of the problem" is "Godless, depraved hearts," in another Facebook post.

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I can understand the parents saying that. They sound like people with open and forgiving hearts.

What I don't understand a legislator thinking it's the solution to the gun problem.

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Originally posted by Piano*Dad:

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“The status quo in Texas is unacceptable,” he said Sunday. “Action is needed.”

... said Gov. Abbot (R).

Give it a few weeks, Greg. It'll die down and you won't have to anger the NRA and the "MY AR-15 OR DIE" crowd that seems so numerous in your area.

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During the press conference, authorities revealed the firearm used in the attack was an "AR-type" weapon. Shortly after, a reported asked whether a plan to ban the AR-15 was under consideration.

"This is the kind of thing legislators are already talking about," Gov. Abbott said. "This is one of the topics that was raised during our roundtable discussions we had in El Paso. However, I do want to point out, that some of the [mass shootings] have not involved ARs."

Gov. Abbott specifically mentioned the Santa Fe shooting, which involved a shotgun and a handgun, and the Luby's shooting, which only involved a handgun.