HOUSTON, Aug. 31 -- Five people were killed and 21 people injured in an active shooting on Saturday afternoon in the Midland-Odessa area in the U.S. state of Texas.

According to Odessa Police Department, one shooter -- a white male in his mid-30s -- was among the dead and "the threat has been contained."

The police did not name the shooter or mention his motive.

The shooting started on Saturday afternoon in Midland when a Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS) trooper attempted to stop a Honda. When the trooper pulled over the car, "he was shot by the occupant of the car," Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke told a press conference.

The vehicle continued westbound into the city of Odessa, and the driver shot randomly individuals from his moving car.

The suspect then ditched the vehicle and "stole a mail truck and there were more victims after that," Gerke said.

Odessa Police Department earlier issued an alert on the active shooting via Facebook, saying "at this time there are multiple gunshot victims. The suspect just hijacked a U.S. mail carrier truck." It also urged people to get off the road and "use extreme caution."

The shooter was encountered by and exchanged fire with law enforcement officers including those from Odessa, Midland police and TxDPS near a local movie theater named Cinergy, and "deceased at that location," Gerke said.

Three of the injured were law enforcement officers -- a state trooper, an Odessa police officer, and a Midland police officer, Gerke said.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday afternoon tweeted that he was just "briefed by Attorney General Barr about the shootings in Texas," and the "FBI and Law Enforcement is fully engaged."

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement that he and his wife "are heartbroken over this senseless and cowardly attack," and they will go to Odessa on Sunday morning.

Texas was hit by one of the state's deadliest shootings less than one month ago. On Aug. 3, a 21-year-old gunman opened fire at a shopping center in El Paso -- no more than 500 km away from Odessa -- killing 22 people and injuring at least two dozen.

Prior to leaving for a scheduled trip to Poland, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told reporters he and the president are "determined to work with leaders in both parties in congress to take steps that we can address and confront this scourge of mass atrocity in our country."

Located in West Texas, the Midland-Odessa is a metropolitan area with a population of around 240,000. The economy of the area is heavily dependent on the petroleum industry.

Odessa is a city in western Texas, about 30 km southwest of Midland. Located in the Permian Basin, it is an oil industry center.

Saturday's mass shooting underscores that the recurrent problem of gun violence in the United States is aggravating.

Also on August, less than 14 hours after the El Paso shooting, a gunman wearing body armor shot and killed nine people at a popular nightlife area in Dayton, Ohio. The suspect was then killed by police.

On May 31, a city worker opened fire in a building that houses Virginia Beach government offices. He killed 12 people and wounded several others before he was gunned down by police.

On Feb. 15, a man killed five co-workers at a manufacturing plant in Aurora, Illinois, during a disciplinary meeting where he was fired. He was killed during a later shootout with police.

Time magazine wrote earlier this month that U.S. mass shootings have claimed the lives of 62 people in 2019 alone.