Victim of carjacker identified

Apr. 16—As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, there were only unconfirmed reports that law enforcement found a man accused of killing a 75-year-old Odessa man Monday and then leading law enforcement on a chase across West Texas.

The suspect is also accused of several carjackings in West Texas Monday as he eluded officers first by car and then on foot before reportedly being found in Irion County.

The carjacker's victim has been identified as Ronald Wayne Irwin of Odessa.

After wrecking out and then evading the police on foot Monday and overnight Monday, the suspect remained on the loose most of Tuesday near Mertzon, Texas. This is an area in which the trees and vegetation is thick.

Overnight on Monday, officials knew the man was on foot and that he had ditched a backpack as he ran from police. The man, Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said early on Tuesday, remained unidentified but a blurry photo of the suspect was released about mid-day Tuesday.

Drones and multiple law enforcement agencies were used overnight Monday and all day Tuesday.

SanAngeloLIVE.com reported Tuesday that San Angelo resident Joe Cuevas said the fugitive stole his Tahoe at gunpoint after he ditched the 2014 Ford Mustang stolen from the slain Odessa homeowner, Irwin.

The Mustang was left in Irion County and Cuevas said he was working on a fence when the man approached him and stole his Tahoe.

Cuevas said the fugitive pulled a gun on one of his fellow workers, hopped into the Tahoe and nearly ran Cuevas over when he gunned the accelerator to continue fleeing from DPS, the sheriff's deputies, and whoever else was trailing him by this time.

Two helicopters and a PC-12 Pilatus command post aircraft on Monday and Tuesday circled an area west-northwest of Mertzon where the fleeing subject was last seen.

The man later ditched the Tahoe and took off on foot with officers in pursuit.

Griffis said on Monday he was on the scene in West Odessa where Irwin was killed by the carjacker.

Griffis said earlier that reports indicated the man was shot, but that now it appears he died after the carjacker likely ran over him.

Griffis also clarified that the carjacker, a white male, stole a car in Lea County, N.M., and ended up in West Odessa where he asked a neighbor of the 75-year-old if he could use his phone and he was told no. He then asked the 75-year-old's wife and was told no and then got into a scuffle with the man. He stole the victim's car and ran over him.

Griffis said they don't know why the man ended up in Odessa or where he is from, but is hoping the backpack or fingerprints found will detail his identity.

He said some reports of the man shooting at others have surfaced but as far as Griffis knows no one else was injured.

ECISD schools were on a brief "secure," which lasted about an hour Monday morning.

A secure means all students and staff are to remain indoors — no one enters or exits until the district receives additional word — while continuing to operate on a regular schedule inside the building.

There were no threats toward any ECISD schools; the secure was issued as a precaution and was lifted, the release stated.

Odessan Jessica Natividad said she picked her 4-year-old son up from Lamar Early Education Center a little after noon.

He was supposed to go to daycare after school, but the daycare called her to say the school was in secure.

A couple of minutes later, she got a message to the same effect about ECISD.

Natividad went to get her son after she was told the bus wouldn't be coming to get him.

"I was glad they did. I feel much better now that I was able to see him. I gave him a big ol' hug when I saw him. Nowadays it's crazy. ... I'm just glad everyone's safe," she said.