Police said the suspects have carried out up to 10 attacks, injuring as many as four people.
AUSTIN, Texas — Two suspects have been arrested and the search continues for a possible third in connection with multiple shootings across Austin on Saturday and Sunday.
The suspects carried out up to 12 random shootings between Saturday afternoon and Sunday, injuring four people, according Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis. One victim sustained serious injuries and is in critical condition, and the other three have minor injuries.
According to Davis, the suspects have been identified as a 17-year-old male and a 15-year-old male. The 17-year-old suspect had a previous warrant for theft of a gun and the 15-year-old is believed to have stolen a gun from the same location on Saturday. The duo is accused of stealing four vehicles over the course of the entire incident.
According to police, there is no clear motive to the shootings, and they appear to be random. At least two of the shootings occurred at Austin fire stations, a number happened at apartment complexes and some happened at homes and stores. Most of the shootings occurred in South Austin and East Austin, and Davis said that polecam captured two of the people being shot in front of a store.
In a addition to the two suspects in custody, Davis said a third person may be involved and remains at large in the Manor area.
The Manor Police Department issued a shelter-in-place order for the following areas: Ralph Ritchie/Suncrest Road, North FM 973 Road near Suncrest Road/Tower Road, the Presidential Meadows subdivision, Greenbury subdivision, Stonewater subdivision. The Travis County Sheriff’s Office sent an alert to Manor residents that it was conducting law enforcement activity in the area between U.S. 290, Old Kimbro Road, Gregg Manor Road and Bois-D-Arc Road, while asking the public to stay indoors until further notice.
A shelter-in-place that had been issued Sunday for a large area of South Austin has since been lifted.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said at a press conference Sunday afternoon that he had been in contact with Gov. Abbott, as well as Manor Mayor Christopher Harvey in the wake of the incident.
The Austin Fire Department said it was aware of the incidents in which fire stations were struck by gunfire – one late Saturday night and another on Sunday morning. No firefighters were injured in the shootings, and only minor damage was reported.
The shootings have not affected the response model from the Austin Fire Department, which remains fully staffed, operational and responding to calls across the city, the union said.
“Austin firefighters are continuing to answer every call for help, just as we always do,” said David Girouard, president of the Austin Firefighters Association. “Our members are continuing to respond city-wide to other reported shootings and to care for victims. While out station doors are locked, our crews remain in full force responding to every call to serve our city and respond to our community without hesitation.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact APD at 512-974-5177 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 512-472-8477, or by visiting austincrimestoppers.org.