Austin shootings leave 4 injured, police say teens may be linked

Austin police said a weekend streak of shootings that stretched across South Austin and East Austin left four people injured and forced officials into a shelter-in-place response as investigators tried to stop what they described as random violence. Police later said the spree may have included as many as 12 shootings between Saturday afternoon and Sunday, turning a fast-moving criminal episode into a public safety crisis for multiple neighborhoods.

Investigators identified two suspects as a 17-year-old male and a 15-year-old male. Police said the older teen had an outstanding warrant for theft of a handgun, while the younger teen is believed to have stolen a gun from the same store on Saturday. KVUE reported that the pair also stole four vehicles during the spree, adding another layer to a case that crossed from shootings into vehicle theft and pursuit.

Police said one victim was critically injured and the other three had minor injuries. The shootings were reported at homes, apartments, stores and at least two Austin fire stations, and the Austin Fire Department said one fire station and one truck were struck by gunfire. With no clear motive and the attacks appearing random, the case rattled residents who had no way to know where the next shot would come from or whether another block would become the next scene.

The search widened beyond Austin and into Manor, where the Manor Police Department said it deployed nearly 200 officers, along with canine units, SWAT, a helicopter and drones. A shelter-in-place order affected parts of South Austin and separately Manor before it was lifted Sunday afternoon. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said he had been in contact with Gov. Greg Abbott and Manor Mayor Christopher Harvey as agencies worked to contain the spread of the violence.

By Sunday night, all three suspects were in custody, according to KXAN, after an investigation that began with at least 10 shootings and grew as authorities tallied more incidents. The case left Austin confronting more than a single violent episode. It exposed how quickly random attacks can overwhelm a city’s sense of safety, forcing police, fire crews and neighboring departments into a race to respond before the next shot was fired.