Texas man charged with capital homicide after 6 useless and three wounded in broad path of separate assaults

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas authorities on Wednesday charged a person with capital homicide following a wave of daylong violence throughout two main cities that left six folks useless and two law enforcement officials recovering from gunshots, together with one who was shot within the leg outdoors a highschool in Austin.

A bike owner in Austin was additionally shot and wounded in a path of assaults that started Tuesday morning and ended with the suspect crashing his automobile that night throughout a police pursuit, Austin interim Police Chief Robin Henderson stated. In all, 4 who died have been present in two properties in Austin and two others have been present in a house greater than 80 miles (129 kilometers) away within the San Antonio space.

Henderson stated it was unclear what, if any, relationship the person needed to the victims.

Authorities recognized the suspect as Shane James, 34. On-line jail information in Travis County present he was being held on costs of capital homicide and misdemeanors from different counties. The information don’t point out whether or not James has an legal professional and a number of other folks listed as family members of James in public information didn’t instantly reply to telephone messages Wednesday.

“We strongly consider one suspect is accountable for all the incidents,” Henderson stated throughout a information convention early Wednesday.

She stated authorities didn’t decide the Austin assaults have been linked till the ultimate one at a house, which occurred greater than eight hours after a college police officer was shot and wounded in a highschool parking zone on the opposite facet of the town.

In San Antonio, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar stated the our bodies of two folks have been discovered inside a residence after deputies noticed water popping out of the house, as if one thing was leaking inside. He stated the deaths appeared to have occurred earlier than the shootings in Austin.

“This occurred, after which the suspect drove to Austin and did what he did there,” Salazar advised reporters.

In a press release, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stated the state would “impose the total weight of legislation on this prison for his despicable crimes.”

“Texans grieve for the family members of the six Texans who have been murdered by a hardened prison who mustn’t ever see the sunshine of day once more,” Abbott stated within the assertion.

The assaults have been the nation’s forty second mass killings this yr, in line with a database maintained by The Related Press and USA At this time in partnership with Northeastern College. No less than 217 folks have died this yr in these killings, that are outlined as incidents wherein 4 or extra folks have died inside a 24-hour interval, not together with the killer — the identical definition utilized by the FBI.

A timeline supplied by Texas authorities revealed the broad floor the suspect allegedly coated between the assaults.

Henderson stated it started with the Austin faculty district police officer being shot within the leg about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday outdoors Northeast Early School Excessive Faculty. Then, round midday, police who responded to a house after getting calls about gunshots discovered two folks with indicators of trauma. Police say one was useless and the opposite died at a hospital.

Daniel Moyer, who lives within the neighborhood, stated the realm is often peaceable and felt shaken Wednesday. The neighborhood in south Austin is greater than 10 miles (16 kilometers) miles from the highschool the place the officer was shot.

“It may have been me and my spouse,” Moyer stated.

One other capturing occurred shortly earlier than 5 p.m., when a male bike owner suffered non-life-threatening accidents. About two hours later, police responded to a name of a housebreaking in progress at one other residence and located two folks useless there. Henderson didn’t say how the 4 folks in Austin died.

Henderson stated that through the name on the final residence, an Austin police officer noticed a person within the yard. The person shot and wounded the officer who returned fireplace and was taken to a hospital, the place he was listed in steady situation.

Police stated the suspect, who was not hit, drove away and police chased him. He crashed at about 7:15 p.m. at a freeway intersection and was taken into custody. The person had a gun, Henderson stated.

She stated the officer who was shot and the opposite officers have been carrying physique cameras and the video can be launched inside 10 enterprise days.

___ Related Press writers Jake Bleiberg in Dallas Kathy McCormack in Harmony, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.