By Nadia Lathan
Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas — A gunman opened fire Monday in the parking lot of a Target store in Texas’ capital, killing two adults and a child before stealing two cars during a getaway that ended with police using a Taser to detain him on the other side of the city, authorities said.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the suspect is a man in his 30s with “a mental health history.” Police said they were still working to determine a motive.
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The suspect fled the scene in a stolen car, wrecked that car and then stole another from a dealership, Davis said. He was captured about 20 miles (32 kilometers) away, in south Austin, where he was taken into custody, she said during a news conference.
Davis said officers responding to a call at about 2:15 p.m. found three people shot in the Target parking lot. Davis said they believe one of the people who was shot was the owner of the car stolen from the store’s parking lot.
An adult and child were pronounced dead at the scene, while another adult died after being taken to the hospital, according to Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services. EMS officials said a fourth person was treated for a minor medical complaint not related to traumatic injuries.
“This is a very sad day for Austin. It’s a very sad day for us all and my condolences go out to the families,” Davis said. She said she had no information to release about the victims.
Lonnie Lee, 22, said she had visited the Target with her sister just a couple of hours earlier before they left to get lunch with their grandparents. When they returned to the area to continue shopping, she said they were shocked to see the parking lot was cordoned off and filled with police.
“We got really, really lucky,” Lee said. “And some people didn’t.”
The shooting came amid back-to-school shopping ahead of the upcoming academic year.
Target said in a statement that they were “devastated” by what happened, and that they would be providing grief counseling to their team.
“Our hearts are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, our team in Austin and all those impacted by this tragedy,” the statement said.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in a message on X that his “heart is with the victims and their families” and that “while this remains an active and ongoing investigation, what I’ll say is that this was a sickening, cowardly act of gun violence.”
At a Jiffy Lube that shares its parking lot with the Target, employees hunkered down and locked the store doors as soon as they became aware a shooting was taking place. Paul Smith, an employee at the auto store, said he saw people running from their cars in the parking lot in a panic.
“I had just gotten back from the Target like a minute before,” Smith said.
The Target shooting comes just over two weeks after an attack at a Walmart store in Michigan. A man accused of stabbing 11 people at the Traverse City store on July 26 has been charged with terrorism and multiple counts of attempted murder.
