Full story
Spree Across Austin
A string of shootings in Austin, Texas that began Saturday with a reported stolen vehicle and a reported stolen firearm left four people injured, with Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis saying the gunfire struck multiple parts of the city and that the incidents stopped Saturday night before picking back up just before 9 a.m. Sunday.
“when a man walking his dog was struck in his back with gunfire”
Davis said the spree resumed Sunday morning when "a man walking his dog was struck in his back with gunfire," and she said most of the shootings occurred in South Austin.
The shootings included attacks on apartment buildings and two fire stations, where Davis said a firetruck was hit with fire personnel standing right behind it, and she said officers went door-to-door to ensure everyone in the apartment buildings was safe.
Investigators were searching for multiple suspect vehicles, including a black or dark blue Hyundai, a gold Hyundai sedan, a silver four-door Mazda and a white Kia Optima, and Austin police said at least five vehicles were stolen.
By Sunday evening, police said two teen suspects were in custody and a third suspect had been detained after a traffic stop in Manor, with the city issuing a shelter-in-place order that was later lifted after the first two suspects were taken into custody.
Arrests, Motive, and Search
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis identified two suspects as a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old, and the 17-year-old was later identified as Cristian Fajardo Mondragon, who had a warrant for theft of a gun from the same store where the 15-year-old allegedly stole a gun on Saturday.
Manor Police Chief Ryan Phipps said his officers spotted the suspect vehicle traveling in the opposite direction, pursued it through Old Town Manor before moving onto northbound FM 973, and then the suspects attempted to cut through a field where the vehicle crashed.
Phipps said the search area was large, spanning multiple neighborhoods, and authorities deployed helicopters and drones to locate the third individual, with the shelter-in-place order lifted around 8 p.m. after Manor police said they were ending the "exhaustive" search.
Mayor Kirk Watson said he had been in contact with Manor Mayor Christopher Harvey and Governor Greg Abbott, who extended his support to the city, and Watson said no motive had been identified.
Davis told reporters, "I don't know what motive would drive anybody to come and drive around senselessly in this city, in multiple parts of the city, shooting," as police said investigators believed the incidents were a mix of random and targeted shootings.
What’s at Risk Next
Officials said the suspects fired at two separate fire stations and at apartment buildings, and Davis said officers then went door-to-door to check whether anyone inside had been struck.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact APD's Aggravated Assault Unit at 512-974-5177”
Austin Travis County EMS Chief Rob Luckridge said three victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries and one was critically injured and received whole blood treatment on scene before being transported to a local trauma center, and all four were taken to local trauma centers.
The investigation also hinged on stolen vehicles and stolen firearms, with Davis saying the suspects stole at least four vehicles during the spree and that investigators were searching for multiple suspect vehicles including a black or dark blue Hyundai, a gold Hyundai sedan, a silver four-door Mazda and a white Kia Optima.
Police asked anyone with information to contact APD's Aggravated Assault Unit at 512-974-5177, and tips could be submitted anonymously through Capital Area Crime Stoppers online or at 512-472-8477, with a reward of up to $1,000 available for information leading to an arrest.
Residents in the area described being shaken by the violence, with Samantha Martinez saying, "It scared me. It scared me so much," and Ryan Nowlin saying, "It's alarming. Drive by shootings don't really happen."
