West Odessans React to Shootout
By: Mycah Glover
Updated: September 19, 2010
Law enforcement officials and the three shooting victims weren't the only ones affected by this weekends shootout. Nearby homes were evacuated, and residents of West Odessa filled the streets, watching the action unfold from start to finish.
Ted Stephan, who was evacuated from his home during the ordeal, was working nearby when it started. "Next thing you know...We heard a cop car go by..we hear one. Next thing you know, we hear two or three.... (Then) you got about ten, twelve, 15, 20, 30, 40."
Elizabeth Rojas also lives nearby and saw the action unfold from beginning to end. "At 4 o'clock, we didn't know what was going on. We thought it was an accident. Soon after that is when we saw and figured out that somebody was shooting."
Some remained calm, others showed some concern, but it was nothing compared to the events there were about to unfold over next 20 hours.
"The helicopters were landing and taking off again and then rotating around the area over there. It was just a lot of commotion," says Rojas.
As the sun started to set, most residents were amazed it was still going on. And those who live closest to the compound, had a long night ahead of them when they found out they couldn't return home until it was over.
"I understand they're doing their job, protecting us and everything. But sometime, we need to geet to the house, get a change of clothes so we can go to work tomorrow," says Stephans.
Rojas was one of the lucky ones that happens to live far enough to avoid evacuation. By midnight, she and many others decided go on to bed, thinking that surely things would end soon. But when they woke up the next morning they were in utter disbelief.
" Six o'clock rolled around and it was still full force, so we've been hanging out on top of the roof and up at front of the land just watching everything go on," says Rojas.
It was like a scene from a movie. Helicopters were swirling overhead, gunshots continuously were being fired, and eventually the home burst into flames.
Some were in shock, others in disbelief, but most everyone was thankful for the men and women who put their own lives on the line, to keep West Odessa safe. According to Rojas, "The law enforcement have been handling it pretty good, so we don't get scared..keeps the nervousness down a bit."
