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Sep 1, 2019

In photos: Odessa vigil held for West Texas mass shooting victims

Rebecca Falconer
Katelyn Cooper, 26, and her two sons Trevor, 5, and Bronston, 7, light candles at the end of the prayer vigil at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin

Katelyn Cooper, 26, and her sons Trevor, 5, and Bronston, 7, at the prayer vigil at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB) Sunday for the region's mass shooting victims. Photo by Cengiz Yar/Getty Images

Hundreds of people attended a prayer vigil at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin in Odessa, Texas, on Sunday evening to honor victims of the mass shooting in the region a day earlier, AP reports.

The big picture: 7 people were killed, including the shooter, and 22 others injured in the drive-by shooting in the West Texas sister cities of Odessa and Midland on Saturday. Odessa Mayor David Turner said West Texans "will get through the tragedy," per AP. "We will show our beloved state and nation what it means to be Permian Basin strong," he said.

Flag fly at half mast over a prayer vigil at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB)
Flags fly at half-staff at the UTPB. Photo: Cengiz Yar/Getty Images
Lindsey Clark and her daughter Caitlin Clark take small flower bouquets provided by local Odessa residents before a prayer vigil at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Lindsey Clark and her daughter Caitlin Clark take small flower bouquets provided by local Odessa residents before the UTPB prayer vigil. Photo: Cengiz Yar/Getty Images
Charles Litchford prays during a vigil at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB) for the victims of a mass shooting, September 1, 2019 in Odessa, Texas.
A prayer takes place at the UTPB. Photo: Cengiz Yar/Getty Images
People attend a prayer vigil at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB) for the victims of a mass shooting, September 1, 2019 in Odessa, Texas.
The UTPB prayer vigil is the first of several vigils and prayer services for the shooting victims, per NewsWest 9. Photo: Cengiz Yar/Getty Images)
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