Austin police arrested 32-year-old Ethan Nieneker on Tuesday in connection with the fatal shooting of two adults and a child in the parking lot of a Target store at 8601 Research Boulevard in North Austin on Monday.
The incident, which occurred just after 2 p.m., marked the city’s third mass-violence event this year.
Police responded to a hotshot call at 2:15 p.m., arriving within four minutes, said Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis. Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and a third died later at a hospital, according to Robert Luckritz, chief of Austin-Travis County EMS. A fourth person was treated for unrelated injuries.
The suspect, described as a white male with a history of mental health struggles, fled in a stolen vehicle, crashed, and then hijacked another car before being tased and apprehended in southeast Austin, about 18.5 miles away in the 2400 block of La Costa Court.
Davis added, “This is a very sad day for Austin. A very sad day for us all, and my condolences go out to the families.”
Nieneker, who has a prior record with the department and has been subject to emergency detention holds for mental health issues, was taken into custody. As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, Travis County court records had not yet been updated to reflect specific charges or legal representation.
The shooting, which did not occur inside the store, prompted the evacuation of Target customers to a nearby pet supply store.
“I was inside the store, but then I hear on the radio like, ‘shots fired,’ so then they just told us ‘active shooter’… So we just ran outside. We told guests to get out,” said Target employee Freyen Sagastume, per KXAN, “I thought that this only happened like in the news and stuff, and then like I kind of just froze at first, but then I saw everyone running.”
Vehicles in the parking lot, part of the active crime scene, were cleared for pickup starting at 10 p.m.on Monday.
“We want to empty the store and reunite them and get them out of here if they were not a witness to the scene. But the cars are going to have to stay here until we’re done with the scene,” Davis said, per KXAN.
Police have not yet determined the motive and plan to release more details during a press conference at 2 p.m. Tuesday.