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AUSTIN, TEXAS – Police arrested a suspect and searched for another Saturday after 14 people were injured, two of them life-threatening, in a mass shooting in a crowded downtown Austin street on day day.
Austin police said in a press release that the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force had assisted the U.S. marshals with the arrest, but they did not provide any further details other than saying that they are continuing to investigate leads for the suspect who is still at large.
Interim Police Chief Joseph Chacon said the shooting occurred around 1:30 a.m. on a street full of bars that was cordoned off from vehicle traffic. He said investigators believed it started as a two-party dispute. Chacon said both suspects were male but declined to reveal details such as whether both shots were fired as the investigation was ongoing.
“Most of the victims were innocent bystanders, but we’re still sorting out all of the victims to see what their involvement in this case is,” Chacon said.
One of three shoots
The mass shootings – one of at least three overnight in the US – caused panic on 6th Street, a popular nightlife spot in the city that is home to the University of Texas.
A witness, Matt Perlstein, told KXAN-TV that he was waiting with a friend to enter a bar when gunfire broke out.
“Everything was perfectly fine,” said Perlstein, then shots broke out. “We just heard like … a bunch of gunfire. They all landed on the floor. We couldn’t even understand what was going on at the time.”
Chacon said his officials reacted quickly to the area.
“They were able to immediately begin life-saving measures, including tourniquets and breast seals, for many of these patients,” he said.
Because of the chaos on the cordoned off road, the police drove six of the wounded to hospitals in their patrol cars. Ambulances carried four people and the other four made their way to hospitals, he said.
Governor Greg Abbott made a statement thanking the police and other first responders and offering prayers to the victims.
Abbott said the State Department of Public Safety was helping the investigation, and Chacon said the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would also help.
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