7th West Texas death identified; ‘truck driver in heaven’

A 35-year-old trucker who was among the seven people killed by a gunman in West Texas was returning home to his family when he was shot, relatives said.

Raul Garcia, a father of four from El Paso, Texas, was identified by authorities in Odessa, Texas.

“Just like my son said, ‘Mom, now he’ll be a truck driver in heaven,'” Garcia’s wife, Perla Garcia , told KVIA-TV.

Police say Seth Aaron Ator killed Garcia and six others and injured more than 20, on Saturday after he was fired by his employer, Journey Oilfield Services. Ator fired at random as he drove in the area of Odessa and Midland, cities more than 300 miles (480 kilometers) west of Dallas.

Luis Garcia said his brother “would be there for everybody.”

Ator, 36, was killed by police.

A look at others who died:

RODOLFO “RUDY” ARCO

Maria Arco said her brother, 57, died instantly when shots were fired at his truck. Arco, a native of Cuba, moved to West Texas from Las Vegas after a 2017 mass shooting at a music festival.

Arco “felt that Odessa was the place to go,” Maria Arco told the Arizona Republic. “He sold everything in Vegas and moved there, in the hopes that things would be safer for him and the family.”

KAMERON BROWN

Brown’s death was confirmed by his employer, Standard Safety & Supply in Odessa, which serves the oil industry.

“We are deeply saddened at the loss of a member of our team,” the company said.

TV station KOSA says it received a video showing the Army veteran dead in a company pickup truck outside Ratliff Stadium, a high school football stadium. Standard Safety declined to comment on the circumstances.

MARY GRANADOS

Granados, 29, was alone in her mail truck when she was shot and killed by a gunman who had hijacked the vehicle.

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

Peregrino, 25, ran into the yard of his parents’ Odessa home to investigate after hearing gunshots, his sister, Eritizi Peregrino, told The Washington Post. The gunman drove by the home and opened fire, killing him.

“It happened at our home. You think you’re safe at your own house,” Eritizi Peregrino, 23, said in an interview. “You’re not even safe at your own house.”

Eritizi Peregrino’s husband also was shot. She said he is recovering.

Eritizi Peregrino said her brother was home for the weekend to talk about his new job and his new life in San Antonio.

“You could always count on him for anything,” she said. “He would always help my parents and his siblings. I knew I could always rely on him and call on him.”

LEILAH HERNANDEZ

Leilah, 15, was with her family Saturday as her 18-year-old brother, Nathan, picked up a truck. Nathan and Leilah were shot while walking out of the dealership, her grandmother, Nora Leyva, told the Post.

“I guess he was just looking for someone to kill,” she said.

Leyva said Leilah’s mother pushed Leilah’s 9-year-old brother under a car. Nathan wrapped his arms around Leilah and was shot in the arm. Another bullet struck Leilah near her collarbone.

Leyva said as the girl died, she pleaded: “Help me, help me.”

Leilah, an Odessa High School student, celebrated her quincea?era in May.

“It was like a dream for her,” Leyva said.

JOSEPH GRIFFITH

Griffith was killed while sitting at a traffic light with his wife and two children, his oldest sister, Carla Byrne, told the Post.

“This maniac pulled up next to him and shot him, took away his life, murdered my baby brother. Like nothing,” Byrne said. “We are so broken.”

Byrne said Griffith, 40, worked six days a week to support his family. He was known for his sense of humor and an uncanny ability to impersonate people.

Griffith previously worked as a math teacher. One day before his death, a former student told Griffith what an “awesome teacher he was,” his sister said.