Three dead and suspect with ‘mental health history’ in custody after ‘active shooter’ at Target store in Texas
Suspect accused of shooting three people in parking lot then fleeing in stolen car, police say
Three people are dead after a shooting Monday afternoon at an Austin, Texas, Target store, police said.
The suspect fled in a stolen car, wrecked that vehicle, then stole another car, according to authorities. An officer later shot the suspect with a Taser and apprehended him in south Austin.
Police were alerted at 2.15 p.m. to the shooting and first-responders arrived within four minutes, finding three people shot in the parking lot of the store.
“This is a very sad day for Austin,” Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said in a press conference Monday afternoon. “This is a very sad day for us all.”
Two victims were pronounced dead in the parking lot and a third victim was taken for treatment and pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Officials did not immediately disclose the identity of the victims, though one is reportedly the driver of the first stolen car.
Four people were injured in the shooting as well, The Austin American-Statesman reports.
Chief Davis said the suspect was a 32-year-old white male with a “mental health history” as well as a past “rap sheet” with the department.
Police were not immediately aware of what caused or motivated the shooting.
The shooting occurred at the Target at 8601 Research Boulevard, according to police.
Police had earlier described a potential suspect in the shooting as a white male, possibly wearing a khaki shorts and a floral or Hawaiian shirt.
Officers were seen evacuating shoppers from the Target to a nearby PetSmart.
Officials urged the public to stay away from the area.
Vehicles remaining in the parking lot of the store are temporarily being held in place as police investigate and drivers will be alerted once their cars are available for retrieval.
The shooting occurred during back-to-school season in the Austin area.
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