A man was arrested and charged with capital murder after a series of shootings across central Texas on Tuesday. The suspect is thought to have killed several people and hurt at least three others, including two police officers.
Speaking at a news conference early Wednesday morning, Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson said that the events were not linked until the suspect, who has not been named, was caught. It was not clear if the suspect knew the people who were killed.
Also, police in Bexar County are looking into whether a “grisly” crime scene near San Antonio where two people were killed is linked. Four people died and three were hurt during the eight-hour wave of violence that hit the city of Austin.
Texas shooting spree leaves 6 people dead, 3 injured, including 2 police officers; suspect in custody:
Texas shooting spree leaves 6 people dead, 3 injured, including 2 police officers; suspect in custody https://t.co/4HyR4N0sZR pic.twitter.com/nJgi6064h7
— New York Post (@nypost) December 6, 2023
A police officer from the Austin Independent School District was shot and hurt near Northeast Early College High School at 10:43 a.m. Tuesday, according to Henderson. The police chief for the school district said the cop who was hurt was in stable condition.
The second shooting happened around 11:59 a.m., when police were called to the south side of Austin to reports of two deaths, one of a guy and one of a woman. Around 5 p.m., a man riding a bike was shot and hurt, but his injuries are not life-threatening.
Henderson said that about two hours later, cops got a call about a break-in on Austral Loop. When police arrived at the house, they saw the suspect in the garden.
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The suspect shot at the cops, and the police shot back. One police officer was shot several times, but the injuries were not life-threatening.
The suspect ran away, and police chased him at high speed until they crashed. A gun was found on the suspect when he was caught.
“The male suspect who was taken into custody was transported to the Travis County jail and is charged with capital murder,” said Henderson. “He was also booked for a warrant out for assault with injury and family violence.” More charges are coming.”
At the same time, police found the bodies of two people inside the house. A man and a woman in their 50s were found dead in a home in San Antonio on Tuesday morning.
Police in Bexar County said they think the suspect in the shootings in Austin may have something to do with their deaths. There are about 80 miles between Austin and San Antonio.
KXAN says that Austin police asked about a house in Bexar County that might have been linked to the suspect. Sheriff Javier Salazar said that the Austin police did this. Salazar said that when the police got at the house, they found two dead bodies inside.
Salazar said, “It’s a pretty bloody crime scene in there.”
Salazar said the suspect was around 30 years old, but it wasn’t clear how he knew the victims. He said that the deaths in the house are likely to have happened before the attacks in Austin.