A gunman killed at least three people during a shooting in a Target car park in Texas before stealing two cars in a failed getaway attempt.
Lisa Davis, the Austin police chief, said the suspect is a man in his 30s with “a mental health history”.
Ms Davis said the suspect fled the scene in a stolen car, wrecked that car before stealing another from a car dealership. He was captured in south Austin by police who used a Taser to immobilise him.
The suspect was then taken into custody, Ms Davis told 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. The police chief 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 academic 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,” Kirk Watson, the mayor of Austin, 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.”
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