A victim reported being shot with a paintball gun during a scavenger hunt by livestreamers on Saturday in Austin.
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police say they’ve identified the person they believe is responsible for shooting and injuring random people with a paintball gun on Saturday.
Police said around 8:40 p.m., officers responded to a disturbance call at Austin Emergency, located at 2020 E. Riverside Drive. A victim reported they had been shot with a paintball from a paintball gun earlier in the evening and wanted to file a police report.
Police discovered there were multiple livestreamers armed with paintball guns who were participating in a scavenger hunt along Lakeshore Boulevard. As all of this played out, the people who were part of the scavenger hunt were filming on cameras and streaming it live online.
In one of the steaming clips on Bennymack’s Kick account, one participant accused another group of streamers of shooting a random bystander who was at the Epic SUP paddleboard and rental kayak business along Lady Bird Lake.
Police said the case is being investigated as an Assault with Injury case. There have been no arrests made in connection with the incident at this time.
Steven Hernandez, who bikes along Lady Bird Lake from time to time, said the incident makes him hesitant to visit the area again.
“You come here to enjoy the lake and the scenery, not to get shot by a paintball,” he said. “I’ve gone paintballing before, yes. We have padding, and it’s still a little painful with that.”
Maya Gudowski said the incident isn’t going to stop her from going to Lady Bird Lake, but it does make her angry.
“In this day and age, where social media can really make you or break you, people feel like going out of their way to just try to be funny when they’re not; they’re just disrespectful,” she said.
Police said this remains an open and ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information may submit a tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.