Neighbor: Gunman Was 'Violent, Aggressive'

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 tells The Associated Press 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. She also says Ator recently came over and knocked on their door around 4 a.m., but they didn't answer because it was "frightening."

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.

Gutierrez says "I know it sounds bad" but she's relieved "because now he's dead."

An FBI agent says Ator "was on a long spiral down" before he was fired from his job on the day of the shooting.

FBI special agent Christopher Combs said Monday that where Ator lived was "a strange residence" and that the conditions "reflect what his mental state was going into this."

Authorities say Ator was fired Saturday morning from his job at Journey Oilfield Services and made "rambling" phone calls to both the 911 and the FBI afterward. Combs says Ator had gone to work that day "in trouble."

Ator was killed by police outside an Odessa move theater to end a chase that covered more than 10 miles.