A suspect is in custody in Texas after a shooting spree that is believed to have left six people dead and wounded three more, including two police officers, across two counties on Tuesday, authorities said.
The male suspect has been charged with capital murder and additional charges are pending, Austin Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson told reporters at a news conference Tuesday night. No details have been released about the suspect or his motive.
The shooting spree in Austin began around 10:45 a.m. in the 7200 block of Bachman Drive, where an Austin Independent School district police officer was shot and injured, Henderson said.
Over an hour later, police received 911 calls about a male and female victim killed in a double homicide at 7300 Shady Wood Drive, the interim chief said.
The third shooting happened just before 5 p.m., according to Henderson, when police responded to 5701 West Slaughter Lan and found a male cyclist shot and suffering non-life-threatening injuries.
A fourth shooting was reported around 6:45 p.m. after an Austin police officer responded to a burglary in progress in the 5300 block of Austral Loop. The suspect opened fire on the officer in the backyard of the residence, striking the officer multiple times.
The wounded officer returned fire and sought cover. The officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was in stable condition at a hospital, Henderson said.
The suspect was not hit during the exchange with the officer and fled the scene in a vehicle, which he crashed several minutes later following a pursuit with other officers. The suspect was then taken into custody.
When police searched the home of the reported burglary, officers found two more victims dead.
Police learned the suspect may have connections to a home in Bexar County and alerted authorities there, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said late Tuesday.
Salazar said that deputies found two middle-aged victims dead inside the home in an apparent “grisly” double homicide. He said the murders likely occurred before the shooting spree in Austin and that it is unclear what relationship, if any, that the suspect has with the victims.
