Police say 3 dead in a shooting at a Target in Austin, Texas, and a suspect has been detained

By NADIA LATHAN. Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A gunman opened fire Monday in the parking lot of a Target store in the Texas capital, killing at least three people, then stole two cars during a getaway that ended with police using a Taser to detain him on the other side of the city, authorities said.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the suspect is a man in his 30s with “a mental health history.”

Davis said the suspect fled the scene in a stolen car, wrecked that car then stole another from a car dealership. He was captured in south Austin, where he was taken into custody, she said during a news conference.

She said responding officers found three people who had been fatally shot in the Target parking lot.

“This is a very sad day for Austin. It’s a very sad day for us all and my condolences go out to the families,” she said. Davis said she had no information to release about the victims.

Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz said two people were pronounced dead at the scene and one person was taken to a hospital where they were pronounced dead. He said another person was treated on the scene for unrelated injuries.

The shooting came amid back-to-school shopping ahead of the upcoming school year. Target corporate has not responded to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.

“This is a devastating situation, and my heart is with the victims and their families,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in a message on X. “While this remains an active and ongoing investigation, what I’ll say is that this was a sickening, cowardly act of gun violence.”

Associated Press writers Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas; Jamie Stengle in Dallas; and Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri, contributed.