Shooter Kills Three in Austin Target Parking Lot Before Capture

By Staff, Agencies

A man in his 30s with a reported history of mental health issues opened fire Monday afternoon in the parking lot of a Target store in Austin, Texas, killing two adults and a child, according to authorities.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said officers responded to reports of gunfire around 2:15 p.m. and found the three victims in the lot. One of them is believed to have been the owner of a car stolen by the suspect during his escape.

The gunman fled in that stolen vehicle, later crashed it, and then took another car from a dealership. Police captured him about 20 miles away in south Austin, using a Taser to subdue him. A fourth person was treated for a minor medical issue unrelated to the shooting injuries.

“This is a very sad day for Austin,” Davis said, offering condolences to the victims’ families. She provided no further details about the deceased.

Witnesses described shock and relief at narrowly avoiding the violence. Lonnie Lee, 22, said she had left the Target with her sister hours before the shooting and returned to find the area blocked off with police everywhere.

The attack occurred during busy back-to-school shopping. Target issued a statement expressing devastation and pledging grief counseling for employees. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson condemned the shooting as a “sickening, cowardly act of gun violence.”

Nearby, employees at a Jiffy Lube locked their doors as the chaos unfolded. Paul Smith, who works there, said he had just returned from the Target minutes before and saw people running from cars in panic.

The incident follows another retail store attack in Michigan just over two weeks ago, when a man stabbed 11 people at a Walmart in Traverse City.