The man accused of fatally shooting three people in the parking lot of a North Austin Target store on Monday has a history of violence and mental health issues, court records show.
Ethan Nieneker, 32, who police say confessed to the shootings, has been charged with three counts of murder and is being held on a $2.5 million bond in Travis County Jail. He admitted his actions were wrong but claimed he was “Jesus” and had to “set everyone free.”
“I have a confession to make. I killed a man and a baby girl today. In Target. In the Target parking lot. I shot them both, because I’m Jesus,” Nieneker told police, Fox 4 KDFW reported. “I realized I was Jesus, and I had to grab my gun and shoot a couple of people to save us all. I killed these people out of love, not out of hate.
“… I realized that I had to kill a couple of people to set everyone free, so I did it. It was just random, I guess. It was like I was just trying to get anyone I could.”
He added, “I just emptied the whole clip randomly. It just seems like a random a** shooting.”
Police said that Nieneker obtained the gun he used in the shooting from a family member, and they are investigating whether the family member will be held liable.
The victims were Rosa Martinez Machuca, a Target employee collecting shopping carts, and Adam Chow, 65, and his 4-year-old granddaughter, Astrid Fung, who were both sitting in a gray Toyota 4Runner. Chow attempted to shield his granddaughter during the attack, the affidavit states. Chow’s wife, also present, sustained minor injuries after Nieneker pushed her from the vehicle during a carjacking.
GoFundMe accounts have been set up to assist the Chow Fung family and the family of Hector Leopoldo Martinez Machuca, known in the community as Rosa.
Surveillance video contradicted Nieneker’s claim that Rosa “came at” him, showing him approaching her from behind while she pushed shopping carts.
After shooting the three victims shortly after 2 p.m. on July 11, Nieneker fled in the stolen Toyota and shortly thereafter assaulted a water truck driver in the 7800 block of Mopac Expressway and attempted to steal his vehicle. He also reportedly chased a man while holding a pistol in his hand, before returning to the Toyota.
Minutes later, at about 2:25 p.m., he crashed the Toyota into a Volkswagen, landing on top of an Infiniti SUV. Nieneker then approached the Volkswagen and repeatedly assaulted the female driver before driving off in her vehicle.
About nine minutes later, he allegedly attempted to break into and steal a Waymo self-driving vehicle, but when that failed, he returned to the Volkswagen.
At 2:37 p.m., an acquaintance who knew Nieneker through a Bible Study group reported that Nieneker had thrown a brick at his residence in the 2100 block of La Casa Drive in Southeast Austin.
At 2:58 p.m., Austin police received reports of a naked man in the backyard of a home in the 2400 block of La Casa Drive. Police located the naked man walking along Montclaire Street. He was tased and arrested at 3:06 after he failed to follow police commands. Police identified the man as Nieneker and found his discarded clothes in a nearby porta-potty after he told police he left items he loved in a “disgusting spot,” Fox 4 KDFW reported.
Court records reveal Nieneker’s history of alleged violence over the past decade, including two assaults on a girlfriend in 2015 — involving head trauma and property damage — two assaults on another girlfriend in 2016, and a 2019 assault on a roommate.
Despite some convictions, most charges were dismissed or resulted in probation, and Nieneker intermittently served time for violating his probation, KUT News reported. One charge of family violence was dismissed after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis noted in a press conference, “This man had some serious issues,” citing two 2018 reports of Nieneker as an emotionally disturbed person, per KUT. “There were some serious failures here on behalf of, you know, many, when you’re looking at potentially some mental illness there.”
A mental health evaluation has been ordered to assess Nieneker’s competency to stand trial.
“These are people who seem to be slipping through the cracks of the mental health system and also the criminal court system,” said Greg Hansch, executive director of the National Alliance of Mental Illness Texas, comparing the case to another involving unaddressed mental health issues, KUT reported.
A coworker reported Nieneker claimed he hadn’t eaten for days to connect with a “higher power” and sent a group message stating, “The Truth prevails. Let me Help you Be set Free from Your Self <3.”