06 December 2023 , 08:00
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A gunman has gone on a mass shooting rampage at multiple locations across a city - killing two people and injuring more including two police officers.
The horror began when an Austin Independent School District officer, who was conducting a routine check at the school, was shot at around 11am in the leg. It prompted the school to be on lockdown for hours and students were taken by bus to be reunited with their families.
The gunman then travelled to South Austin, in Texas, US, where he shot and killed a man and a woman in their 50s who were later discovered lifeless inside a small room in the city of San Antonio at midday. Then, at around 4.57pm, a male cyclist was shot and left with non-life-threatening injuries. Cops were then called to a potential house burglary and at around 6.48pm.
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Cars were stopped as the suspect fled the scene (Austin American-Statesman)The officer found the suspect in the backyard of the home and the suspect fired at the cop. The officer fired back but when he was not struck the gunman drove away. The officer has since been placed on leave as per protocol.
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Police went on a high-speed chase to catch the gunmen who fled the scene before the car crashed nearby. The suspect was taken into custody. The nature of the relationship between the victims and the suspect is currently unknown. The suspect has since been charged with capital murder. He previously had a warrant for family violence.
According to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, the "grisly" double murder in San Antonio is also being investigated in connection with the three shootings in Austin on Tuesday.
A high-speed police chase saw the suspect crash his car (Austin American-Statesman)The Austin Police Department revealed the suspect in the Austin shooting rampage had connections to the residence. However, it was unclear what the suspect's connection was to the home. The suspect, who has not been named, is said to be a man in his 30s.
Concerned parents said although they heard the students were safe, it was still a scary experience. Angie Hernandez was texting her son, who was in a hallway and ran into a classroom when the school suddenly went into lockdown.
The suspect has since been charged (Austin American-Statesman)“How can we send our kids to school (when) we don’t know what’s going to happen?” Hernandez said. “How can we trust our kids to the school system?” Parents waited in line around the Delco Activity Centre to pick up their children who had been dropped off there from the high school. Lydia Chavez went to pick up her niece and admitted she only saw the school was in lockdown from breaking news alerts. She quickly contacted her sister to tell her the news. “You don’t think it’s going to happen,” Chavez said.
On Tuesday at around 9.30 pm, three candles, and flowers were left next to the driveway of the home where two people had been killed just hours earlier. According to neighbours, the man and woman had only just moved in a few days ago.