Austin police probe random shooting spree across city, injures four

Police are investigating a weekend shooting spree that stretched across Austin and left four people wounded, including one victim in critical condition, as investigators say the violence appeared random and touched homes, apartment complexes, stores and two fire stations.

Mayor Kirk Watson said no motive had been identified, and police said the attacks were concentrated mostly in South Austin and East Austin. Chief Lisa Davis said three of the victims had minor or non-life-threatening injuries. The incidents unfolded from Saturday afternoon into Sunday, creating a fast-moving case that forced officers to connect scattered scenes across the city and then across into Manor.

Authorities said the first linked incident began around 3:45 p.m. Saturday with a stolen vehicle report from an apartment complex and a gun theft from a store. By Sunday morning, the violence had resumed, and a man walking his dog was shot in the back. Police said there were at least 10 and possibly as many as 12 separate shooting incidents over the weekend, along with about 20 additional service calls.

Investigators said the suspects were tied to at least four stolen vehicles and at least one stolen gun. Two suspects were identified as a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old, and a third suspect was later detained. In one case, a pole camera captured a shooting in front of a store, giving detectives a crucial piece of video evidence as they worked to map the movement of the suspects and the stolen vehicles.

The gunfire also reached public safety targets. Police said two Austin Fire Department stations were struck, and one fire truck was hit while firefighters were standing nearby. Austin Fire Department officials said no firefighters were injured and damage to the facilities was minor, but the episode underscored how quickly the violence crossed from neighborhood streets into emergency operations.

Law enforcement issued and later lifted shelter-in-place orders in parts of South Austin and in Manor, where nearly 200 officers, SWAT teams, helicopters, drones and canine units joined the search. The South Austin order covered an area bordered by Slaughter Lane, McKinney Falls Parkway, Ben White Boulevard and Escarpment Boulevard. Manor police later joined the pursuit, and the search ended after the suspects were detained in connection with a car chase there.

Austin leaders said they were in contact with Gov. Greg Abbott and Manor Mayor Christopher Harvey during the emergency. With no known motive and no obvious pattern beyond theft, the case has left investigators trying to explain how a burst of apparently random violence could move so quickly through a rapidly growing city and still be difficult to stop in real time.