A man accused of carrying out a string of shootings in central Texas on Tuesday that left multiple people dead and at least three others injured, including two police officers, has been detained and charged by police. The suspect is being held on charges of capital murder.
Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson said at an early-morning press conference on Wednesday that the arrest of the unidentified suspect was the first step toward the police’ establishment of a link between the crimes. Whether or not the suspect knew the victims before is yet unknown.
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In addition, Bexar County investigators are looking into a “grisly” crime scene outside of San Antonio where two bodies were discovered and whether there may be a link to the events in Austin. Over the course of eight hours, the violent outburst in Austin left four people dead and three injured.
According to Henderson, the sequence of events started on Tuesday at 10:43 a.m. when an Austin Independent School District officer was shot and hurt close to Northeast Early College High School. The police chief of the school district attested to the injured officer’s stable condition.
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The second shooting happened on Austin’s south side at around 11:59 a.m. and involved the double homicide of a man and a woman. A male biker was shot at about 5 pm, and his injuries were not life-threatening.
A 911 call reporting a burglary on Austral Loop was made over two hours later. The suspect was found by responding policemen in the backyard, and he then started shooting at them. One officer received many non-life-threatening bullet wounds during the gunfight.
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After exchanging gunfire, the suspect took off running, starting a fast chase that ended in an accident. When a gun was discovered in the suspect’s hands, the authorities took him into custody.
