Three teenage suspects are now behind bars following a 19-hour crime spree across Austin that included at least 12 separate shootings, multiple stolen cars, and multiple robberies that left four people wounded and forced parts of the city into a shelter-in-place lockdown.
In an initial press release posted Sunday, the Austin Police Department (APD) said it was asking for the public’s help identifying suspects in connection with shootings that took place on May 16.
APD said there was no specific motive at that time, and no fixed location for the shootings, describing them as “random,” and asked the community to remain vigilant. The department also described the suspect as a white or Hispanic male in his late teens, driving a Hyundai Sonata.
By Sunday evening, APD had confirmed that a third and final suspect had been arrested in connection with the shootings by the Manor Police Department, adding that there was “no ongoing threat to the public at this time.”
At a press conference held by the APD, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis walked through how the chaos unfolded. Around 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, a vehicle was stolen from an apartment complex, and then a gun was stolen from a nearby store shortly after. Officers saw no connection at first. But roughly 20 more service calls tied to the same suspects soon flooded in across south and east Austin, and the picture became clearer.
The group’s crime spree paused overnight, then resumed Sunday morning when, around 9 a.m., a man walking his dog was shot in the back. Other targets throughout the weekend included apartment buildings, homes, businesses, and two Austin Fire Department stations. The group even shot at a fire truck while firefighters stood nearby.
Four people were hit in total, with one suffering serious injuries and three sustaining minor injuries, Davis said.
One of the suspects, reportedly a 15-year-old, stole a gun from a store on Saturday; the other, a 17-year-old, already had an outstanding warrant for theft of a gun from that same store. Both will be placed in juvenile detention, and no names have been released as of press time.
The case broke open when the Travis County Sheriff’s Office and Manor Police tracked a stolen white Kia to the Manor area and attempted to stop it. All three suspects fled on foot. Two were quickly captured; the third evaded a massive manhunt involving nearly 200 officers, K-9 units, SWAT teams, helicopters, and drones before being located around 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
“I don’t know what motive would drive anybody to come and drive around senselessly in this city – in multiple parts of this city – shooting,” Chief Davis told reporters.
By Monday morning, the ripple effects had reached local schools. Manor ISD canceled classes at Presidential Meadows Elementary School and suspended bus routes in the Stonewater, Presidential Meadows, and Greenbury neighborhoods, asking families to find alternative forms of transportation.
“At this time, the Manor Police Department has indicated that the areas near Manor Rise Academy and Manor High School are clear, but families can expect to see increased police presence in an abundance of caution,” the district announced on Sunday night.
Anyone with information on the suspects or their motives is asked to contact APD’s Aggravated Assault Unit at 512-974-5177, or submit an anonymous tip to Capital Area Crime Stoppers at austincrimestoppers.org or 512-472-8477.
