At least one of two black suspects is a juvenile in Austin shooting that injured 14 pride partiers

[Leroy N. Soetoro]

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/06/12/downtown-austin-shooting-
least-13-shot-suspect-remains-large/7666624002/

Editor's note: Due to the magnitude of this shooting as a matter of public
safety, the Statesman is making this story free for everyone to read.
Statesman journalists are working to find as much information as possible
and will continue to report on this story.
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A suspect arrested in connection with the mass shooting on Austin's Sixth
Street that wounded 14 is a juvenile, and authorities Sunday were still
considering what charges he will face, officials told the American-
Statesman and KVUE-TV.

Police and prosecutors have up to 48 hours from the time of a person's
arrest to file charges against him. The suspect's age was not immediately
released, and because he is not an adult, his identity and court records
in the case likely will remain confidential.

Officials also were continuing efforts Sunday to locate a second suspect,
and it was not immediately clear if that person also is a juvenile.

Those details emerged after Austin's Sixth Street entertainment district,
filled with revelers resuming post-pandemic life, again became the scene
of chaos and bloodshed early Saturday when at least 14 people were wounded
in a mass shooting that intensified questions about public safety and gun
violence in one of the nation's fastest-growing cities.

Interim Police Chief Joe Chacon said the shooters could face a range of
charges that include attempted murder and aggravated assault with a deadly
weapon.

Officials said most of the victims, whose injuries ranged from moderate to
critical, were innocent bystanders. Chacon said he believes no one died
because of swift and heroic actions his officers took.

The shooting marked the most significant mass casualty incident local
emergency officials have responded to citywide since 2014 — an incident
that happened in the same area when a man plowed his car into a crowded,
barricaded street during South by Southwest. Four people died, and 30 were
injured. Although no one died in Saturday's shooting, the incident also
marked the first time that many people were shot in one event in Austin
since the infamous mass shooting from the University of Texas Tower in
1966 that left 15 dead.

The scene began unfolding at the height of a typical weekend night on
Sixth Street. Austin-Travis County EMS medics responded at 1:25 a.m. to
what they described as an "active attack" in the 400 block of East Sixth
Street. Officials said security video footage they reviewed as part of the
investigation showed victims enjoying themselves one moment, then dropping
to the ground from injuries as shots rang out. When first responders
arrived, they found people covered in blood and sprawled out on the street
and sidewalk.

"It was very difficult to contain the scene. It was very difficult for EMS
to make their way into this crowd," Chacon said.

More:Gun violence on the rise in Austin; city to accelerate prevention,
intervention programs

Police told the American-Statesman that the crowd in the city's
entertainment district at the time was near the size of a pre-pandemic
group, meaning potentially tens of thousands of people gathered in the
area anchored by East Sixth Street. The Republic of Texas biker rally is
happening in Austin this weekend, which typically draws thousands of
motorcyclists to the city and to the entertainment district. But Chacon
said they have no information that the rally played any role in the
violence.

Amid the chaos, medics tended to the most seriously wounded and raced them
to the hospital.

Dramatic video shows Austin police officers racing toward the scene, then
administering first aid to some of the victims. Cameras captured two
officers carrying a woman wearing red high heels, and, in other footage,
officers could be seen crouched over a victim in the street providing
help. Police said that as ambulances struggled to reach the area, officers
put victims in squad cars and other police vehicles to drive them to the
hospital a few blocks away.

“We had a lot of trouble getting our command vehicles and ambulances where
they needed to be — the streets were blocked off, the crowds were so
heavy, and there was so much chaos,” said Selena Xie, union president for
Austin-Travis County EMS. “That’s why police have mounted units (on
horseback), because that is much easier to maneuver than a vehicle.”

The shooting instantly sparked renewed conversation not only about safety
in Austin’s cherished entertainment district, but also about a sharp rise
in gun violence in the city overall. Police statistics show that gun
crimes went from 689 in 2015 to 1,054 in 2020, a 53% increase.

"This is emblematic of that," Chacon said. "It continues, and it is
something we are trying to work to decrease."

Mayor Steve Adler said in a statement Saturday that the uptick “locally is
part of a disturbing rise in gun violence across the country as we exit
the pandemic. APD and the City Council have initiated multiple violence
prevention efforts in response, but this crisis requires a broader,
coordinated response from all levels of government.”

Last month, council members voted on a measure to expedite getting a
series of gun violence prevention programs in place. Other officials,
including Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza and County Attorney
Delia Garza, have adopted other programs, such as a requirement that some
defendants released on bond must surrender any firearm as a condition of
getting out of jail.

The city’s response to the rise in violence comes as Austin is searching
for its next police chief.

In the three months that Chacon has served as interim chief, the shooting
was the second major incident that has drawn a significant law enforcement
response. The other involved the shooting of three people near the
Arboretum that initially was reported as an active shooter incident and
search for the suspect in what police later described as domestic
violence. Former Travis County sheriff’s Deputy Stephen Broderick, was
found and arrested the next morning in connection with that shooting.

State officials, including Gov. Greg Abbott, also addressed Saturday's
shooting. Abbott said in a statement that the Texas Department of Public
Safety is working closely with the Austin Police Department to “ensure
that the perpetrators are captured and punished to the fullest extent of
the law.”

During the just-completed legislative session, Republican lawmakers
successfully passed several bills loosening gun restrictions, including a
measure that would allow anyone 21 or older who can legally possess a
firearm in Texas to carry a handgun in public without a permit. Current
state law allows residents 21 or older to carry a handgun only after
completing training and criminal background check to obtain a license to
carry. House Bill 1927, known as constitutional carry by gun rights
advocates, has long been a legislative priority of many conservative
Republican lawmakers, and Abbott has said he will sign the bill.

Other GOP bills approved this year will allow school marshals to carry
concealed guns instead of keeping them locked away, let hotel guests bring
guns to their rooms, remove sales taxes for firearm safety equipment and
lift Texas-made firearm silencers from the state's list of prohibited
weapons.

Taylor Blount was at a bar on Sixth Street early Saturday when he heard a
barrage of gunshots.

"I only heard them from a single weapon, and then everyone started running
in different directions," he said. "People were freaking out a lot, and
there were some people crying, but most people were just freaking out.

Blount, 26, said he ran inside a bar, closed the door and locked it
because he could not immediately determine where the shots were from.

Moments later, when he believed it to be safe, Blount said he went outside
and saw police officers dragging a man who had been shot in the chest to
safety and then performing first aid on him.

"It was very intense."

Javier Garza, who lives on Sixth Street, said he was asleep when the
shooting happened, but awoke to notice that all of the music outside had
stopped.

"Next thing I know, there was police everywhere," he said. "I tried to
come out at 5 a.m. and there was yellow tape across my door. Police said I
had to stay in."

Garza said he has lived in Austin for 22 years but is considering buying
property outside of the city.

"I chose this place because it was really convenient for work, but in
light of recent events, it's just time to get out," he said.

his is a developing story. Please return to read more.

Editor's note: Police have only released a vague description of the
suspected shooter as of Saturday morning. The American-Statesman is not
including the description as it is too vague at this time to be useful in
identifying the shooter and such publication could be harmful in
perpetuating stereotypes. If more detailed information is released, we
will update our reporting.


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