Three people were shot dead in a shooting outside a Target store in Austin, Texas on Monday, August 11 (as per the US local time). The suspected gunman was arrested by law enforcement agencies after he escaped the crime scene, where he had stolen multiple vehicles.
The Austin Police Department received a call at around 2.15 p.m., the caller saying a "hotshot" call at the Target store located at 8601 Research Boulevard. The local police reached the spot and found three casualties in the shopping centre's parking area.
According to Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis, the suspect crashed the car while fleeing after stealing a car from the scene. To escape, he hijacked another vehicle at a Volkswagen dealership before being detained by police in South Austin. He was arrested at the 24000 block of La Costa Drive after being chased.
The suspect gunman was identified as a 32-year-old white male with a mental health issue and a history of violence. In an earlier update, Austin police said he may have been wearing khaki shorts and a Hawaiian-style shirt. Robert Luckritz, chief of Austin-Travis County EMS, said two victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and a third was taken to a hospital where they were later pronounced dead.
As per the initial investigation, one of the victims was the driver of the vehicle that was first stolen. Police closed the 8000 block of the MoPac southbound frontage road between Executive Center Drive and Anderson Lane following the incident.