(MIDLAND, Texas) — One victim was killed and 10 others were injured in a mass shooting in Midland, Texas, on Friday morning, and the suspected gunman is dead following a standoff with police, authorities said.
When police responded to an active shooter report around 8 a.m. local time Friday, the suspect, Victor Mata Villarreal, allegedly fired at bystanders and officers, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
Villarreal, 45, then barricaded himself in an abandoned veterinary clinic, DPS said. After an hourslong standoff, the Odessa, Texas, resident was found dead in the building around 12:30 p.m. local time, authorities said.
Nine victims were taken to Midland Memorial Hospital, where four were rushed into surgery and five were admitted in stable condition, hospital officials said. The five in stable condition have since been discharged, officials said.
The victims have not been identified. DPS said no law enforcement officers were hurt.
Villarreal had been wanted for attempted capital murder of an officer after he allegedly fired multiple shots at police during a car chase on Wednesday, DPS said.
He fled from that scene on Wednesday and went into hiding, according to law enforcement. On Friday, when officers tried to apprehend him, he began opening fire, according to law enforcement.
Midland Mayor Lori Blong said at a news conference, “I would really ask Midlanders to pray for the families of those who have been impacted, for the victims themselves, for the family of the one who is confirmed deceased.”
ABC News’ Alex Stone and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
Jimmy Jam attends the Songwriters Hall of Fame 55th Annual Induction and Awards Gala at Marriott Marquis Hotel on June 11, 2026, in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Michael Jackson’s music has seen a resurgence thanks to renewed interest generated by the Michael biopic, and Jimmy Jam is thrilled about it. Speaking to ABC Audio on the red carpet of the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony, he shared his excitement about seeing MJ’s music return to the Billboard charts.
“Great music has no expiration date,” he says, noting Michael worked with “a dream team of great collaborators,” including Quincy Jones, Benjamin Wright and Rod Temperton.
“It was just the best musicians, the best arrangers, the best producer all coming together for some musical moments that we’ll never forget,” he adds. “I’m happy that young people are embracing it and realizing almost what they’re not hearing in music is exactly what existed on those albums.”
Michael’s Thriller currently sits at #6 on the Billboard 200, followed by his Number Ones compilation at #7.
Blake Lively attends the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, May 4, 2026, in New York. Justin Baldoni speaks onstage at the Vital Voices 12th Annual Voices of Solidarity Award, Dec. 9, 2024, in New York. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images | Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
A New York federal judge has ruled that Justin Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, must pay his former It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively’s attorneys’ fees, after the parties reached a settlement last month in Lively’s lawsuit against the actor and production studio.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman denied Lively’s claim for punitive damages but wrote that the actress was entitled to attorneys’ fees under California Civil Code Section 47.1.
Section 47.1 states in part that a “prevailing defendant” in a defamation case is “entitled to their reasonable attorney’s fees and costs for successfully defending themselves in the litigation,” as well as any additional damages permitted by a judge.
In a statement to ABC News following the ruling, Lively’s attorneys Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb said the judge’s decision “makes it clear that Ms. Lively brought her claims in good faith, that there was no evidence she acted with malice, and that she is the prevailing defendant under Section 47.1.”
“Ms. Lively is gratified that her lawsuit shows how Section 47.1 and laws like it create a path for survivors to hold accountable those who weaponize online attacks and retaliatory lawsuits to intimidate and silence survivors,” they added.
ABC News has reached out to representatives for Baldoni for comment.
Friday’s decision comes after the parties reached a settlement in early May in Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni, ending their nearly year-and-a-half legal dispute.
According to settlement documents filed May 7 in the Southern District of New York, Baldoni, via his Wayfarer production company, and Lively agreed to settle their ongoing dispute on terms that Lively could still seek to recover attorney’s fees and additional damages.
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Lively and Baldoni’s legal battle kicked off in December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department alleging “severe emotional distress” after she said Baldoni and key stakeholders in the film — which Baldoni also directed — sexually harassed her and attempted, along with Baldoni’s production company, to orchestrate a smear campaign against her.
Baldoni followed up the action by filing a lawsuit against the New York Times for libel and false light invasion of privacy on Dec. 31 after it published the article about Lively’s California complaint.
Lively subsequently formalized her complaint into a lawsuit against Baldoni in New York, also on Dec. 31.
Baldoni responded by filing a civil lawsuit against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and others for, among other things, extortion and defamation.
The suits were consolidated into one lawsuit in January 2025.
In June last year, Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and the couple’s publicist Leslie Sloane, as well as Baldoni’s defamation suit against the Times, was dismissed by Liman.
A federal judge in New York gutted much of Lively’s case against Baldoni in April of this year, including claims she was subjected to sexual harassment on set.
The judge determined in a ruling at the time that Lively would be allowed to pursue certain claims of retaliation against Baldoni’s public relations team over alleged harm to her reputation.
In May, after reaching a settlement in their protracted legal dispute, the two actors issued a joint statement via their respective legal teams, saying, “We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.”
Ariana Grande attends the AFI Awards Luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on January 9, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
Thanks to Ariana Grande, there will soon be brighter days ahead for some organizations that support vulnerable communities.
Ari has launched The Brighter Days Ahead Foundation, which comprises four core funds: Protect & Defend, focused on LGBTQ+ rights, civil rights and reproductive justice; Heal & Dream, which expands access to mental health care and community support; Seen & Celebrated, which ensures LGBTQ+ voices and stories are heard and shared; and Emergency Support, which provides “rapid support and relief during times of collective need,” according to a press release.
Ari says in a statement, “I am beyond excited to finally announce the brighter days ahead foundation. Our mission is to support, protect, and provide resources for our vulnerable friends in need.”
She adds that the foundation will be “supporting handfuls of incredible organizations that provide the safe space and care that is desperately needed by so many right now.”
“It has been my privilege to be able to support these causes on my own over the years, and I’m grateful to now be able to expand that reach and amplify the life-saving work that these organizations do,” she concludes.
In more lighthearted Ariana news, her brother, Frankie Grande, appeared onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday. He told Jimmy that he met Céline Dion soon after Ariana had done one of her famous Céline Dion impressions on his show.
“And so I was there in Vegas and Céline comes literally running up to me and she’s like, ‘Oh my God, Frankie, you have to tell your sister when she did me on Jimmy Fallon I peed!’” Frankie related, doing his own impression of the Canadian diva. “She goes, ‘I was laughing so hard I peed myself! I peed!’”
Brad Paisley & Miranda Lambert’s “Someone Else’s Arms” (MCA)
It’s been a month since Brad Paisley launched his new Tacklebox project, and it’s time for an update: His latest addition, “Someone Else’s Arms,” is out now and features Miranda Lambert.
He’s added six tracks so far, drawing from his vast catalog of unreleased and unrecorded songs: “Fallin’,” “This Town Ain’t Small Enough,” “Without You,” “Hi Ho Silverado (featuring David Lee Murphy),” “Overnight Low” and “Helen Back.”
Look for more new additions in the weeks to come.
Brad’s currently touring Europe, before he returns to the States to play Provo, Utah, July 4 and resume his U.S. tour.
Taylor Swift, ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’ from ‘Toy Story 5’ (Walt Disney Records)
Taylor Swift’s new Toy Story 5 song “I Knew It, I Knew You” has scored the first of what will likely be multiple chart milestones.
The song has debuted at #1 on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart; it’s her seventh charttopper across the pond. She is tied with Michael Jackson, George Michael and U2 in terms of artists who’ve all scored seven #1 singles on that chart.
Taylor is also now the first non-British artist to score two U.K. #1 hits in 2026; in February, she topped the chart with “Opalite.” The only other artist who’s had two U.K. #1 hits in 2026 is Harry Styles, with “Aperture” and “American Girls.”
Taylor wrote the song after the artist who’s most associated with Toy Story, Randy Newman, said it was OK for her to do so. Newman wrote and performed the franchise’s signature tune, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” plus several other songs for the movie series.
In ABC’s new 20/20 special Toy Story: 30 Years and Beyond, which airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, Taylor says that Newman has been “amazing and supportive and encouraging” in welcoming her to the franchise.
“Knowing I had his blessing to enter this world was really special for me and kind of helped ease what might have been a stressful situation, if I didn’t know that he was good with it,” she says.
“He’s got a way of just writing such intricate, yet beautifully pure, simple lyrics about how you feel that get to the heart of it,” she says of Newman’s songs. “They’re so complex. They’re exactly how you feel, and they’re so universal.”
Disney is the parent company of ABC, ABC News and Hulu.
Nipsey Hussle, Bino Rideaux ‘PROLIFIC’ album cover (All Money In/Out The Blue/Atlantic Records)
PROLIFIC, a collaborative album between Nipsey Hussle and Bino Rideaux, now has a release date. It’s set to arrive on Aug. 14, a day before what would’ve been Hussle’s 41st birthday.
“We’re proud to present PROLIFIC, the collaborative project Nipsey created with Bino and brought to life sonically by Mixed By Ali,” Hussle’s brother, Samiel “Blacc Sam” Asghedom, says in a statement. “We are honored to be able to release the PROLIFIC album in the exact way my brother envisioned it. This isn’t something that our team compiled together, this is the body of work Nipsey created with Bino top to bottom. He was very proud of this project and we feel blessed to finally be able to share it with the world.”
Recorded nine years ago, the 15-track project was recently led by the single “Reckless.” Coinciding with the release date announcement is the premiere of “Sacrifices,” released with a music video directed by Norberto Garcia.
“Sacrifices was a masterclass of creative energy,” says Bino in a statement. “Minimum conversation, all hands on deck, and the unpredictable genius of James Fauntleroy. Constant flow of vibes and gems on and off record.”
PROLIFIC is available for preorder and presave in multiple physical variants. Exclusive merch is available for preorder.
Singer Joe Elliott of Def Leppard performs at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on February 03, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Live Nation Las Vegas)
Def Leppard wrapped their Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace back in February, and now they are giving fans who didn’t make it to Sin City a little taste of what went down.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just dropped a performance video of their latest single, “Rejoice,” which was shot during their Vegas stint. The clip shows the band being introduced to the audience and then rising from below the stage to perform the song.
Def Leppard released “Rejoice” back in January, ahead of the residency’s Feb. 3 launch. It was their first new single since dropping “Just Like 73,” featuring Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, in 2024.
The band is set to kick off a new European/U.K. tour on Saturday in Rättvik, Sweden. A complete list of dates can be found at DefLeppard.com.
The skyline of the Central Business District is seen on May 13, 2026 in Beijing, China. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A U.S. citizen was arrested in China on espionage charges, according to Chinese officials.
U Min Zin was “lawfully subjected to criminal compulsory measures by the relevant authorities on suspicion of engaging in espionage activities that endanger China’s national security Chinese foreign ministry,” spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters Friday during a news conference.
Lin did not provide any more details about the charges or the investigation into Min Zin, who has been a longtime scholar on the politics of Myanmar. The spokesperson said the Chinese government notified the U.S. consulate general in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.
A State Department official told ABC News in a statement Friday that the department is aware of the reports of the arrest.
“The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans. Whenever a U.S. citizen is detained, we work to provide the appropriate consular assistance. However, under federal privacy law, we are unable to comment further at this time,” the official said.
Min Zin took part in the democracy movement in Burma, Myanmar’s former name, in the late 80s and fled the country in 1989 to avoid arrest, according to a bio on his blog.
He is the executive director of the think tank, The Institute for Strategy and Policy (Myanmar), and has written several publications about Myanmar’s politics.
Min Zin was scheduled to speak at an event in Nepal this month hosted by the Centre for Social Innovation and Foreign Policy, the think tank announced in May.
ABC News’ Shannon Kingston contributed to this report.
‘Break the Cycle (25th Anniversary Live)’ album artwork. (BMG/Alchemy Recordings)
Staind has announced a new live album celebrating the 25th anniversary of the band’s 2001 breakout album, Break the Cycle.
The set collects live recordings of each of the 13 songs off the original Break the Cycle track list. It’s due out Aug. 21.
You can watch the video for the live version of the single “It’s Been Awhile” streaming now on YouTube.
Break the Cycle marked Staind’s third album and spawned the singles “It’s Been Awhile,” “Fade,” “Outside,” “For You” and “Epiphany.” It’s been certified five-times Platinum by the RIAA.
Staind will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Break the Cycle with a U.S. tour launching in September.
In other 25th anniversary celebration news, Alien Ant Farm is putting out their 2001 effort ANThology, which includes the single “Movies” and their hit cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal,” on vinyl for the first time on July 31.
