6 dead, 3 injured in Texas attacks

Six people are dead and another three were injured in a series of separate attacks in Texas on Tuesday.

The suspect, who is in custody, is believed to be responsible for a string of shootings in Austin and connected to two deaths in a residence east of San Antonio, police said at a news conference Tuesday night. He was charged with capital murder, while further charges against him are pending.

Authorities did not identify the suspect.

“We strongly believe one suspect is responsible for all of the incidents,” said Robin Henderson, Austin interim police chief, adding that police “did not determine that these incidents were connected until the last incident occurred” Tuesday night.

Henderson provided a timeline of the violent incidents, starting with the first shooting in Austin at about 10:45 a.m., when law enforcement responded to an Austin Independent School District police officer who was shot and injured in a parking lot at Northeast Early College High School.

Just before noon, officers then responded to a second incident after receiving multiple calls for help at a home in Austin where gunshots were heard. One person was pronounced dead at the scene and the second person died later at the hospital.

Henderson said the third incident occurred just before 5 p.m., after a male cyclist was shot and sustained non-life threatening injuries in Austin.

The final incident occurred just before 7 p.m., when police responded to an ongoing burglary in Austin, which resulted in arresting the suspect after he opened fire on officers and fled in a vehicle. Officers discovered that two apparent victims of the suspect were left dead in the residence.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a press conference that his agency received a call from the Austin Police Department informing them that the suspect is believed to be connected to a double homicide that occurred at a residence east of San Antonio.

Salazar said it is believed the deaths near San Antonio happened before the attacks in Austin. He did not say how the victims died. 

 It’s unclear whether the suspect was connected to any of the victims, police said.