A gunman opened fire in the car park of a Target store in Austin, Texas, killing at least three people before fleeing in stolen vehicles. Police caught him later in the day after a city-wide chase.

Chaotic shooting and escape

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the suspect, a man in his 30s with “a mental health history,” attacked on Monday around 2:15 pm. Officers found three people shot in the car park. The suspect stole a vehicle to escape, crashed it, and then stole another from a dealership.

Police eventually tracked him to south Austin, about 32 km away. Officers used a Taser to detain him.

Casualties confirmed

Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services Chief Robert Luckritz confirmed two people died at the scene. A third victim died later at the hospital. Another person had minor injuries unrelated to the shooting.

“This is a very sad day for Austin. It’s a very sad day for us all, and my condolences go out to the families,” Davis said. She gave no details about the victims.

Witness accounts

Witness Lonnie Lee, 22, said she and her sister had visited the store just hours before the shooting. “We got really, really lucky,” she said. “And some people didn’t.”

Paul Smith, who works at a Jiffy Lube sharing the car park, said he locked the doors after hearing about the shooting. “I had just gotten back from the Target like a minute before,” he recalled.

Community reaction

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called the incident “a sickening, cowardly act of gun violence” and expressed sympathy for the victims’ families. The attack took place during the busy back-to-school shopping season. Target’s corporate office has not yet commented.

The shooting happened just over two weeks after a mass stabbing at a Walmart in Michigan on July 26, where 11 people were injured. The suspect in that case faces terrorism and attempted murder charges.