Four people were injured in the shooting attacks
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Authorities in Texas have arrested two of the three suspects in a series of shootings that took place across Austin over the weekend, leaving four people injured.
Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis said during a press conference on Sunday, May 17, that two suspects had been arrested in connection with as many as 10 attacks across the city, and authorities are still searching for a third.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said the shootings took place on Saturday and Sunday, and two of the shootings occurred at Austin Fire Department (AFD) stations — though the crimes appear to be “random,” Watson said. The incidents left one victim with serious injuries and three people with minor injuries.
The two suspects arrested were identified as a 17-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy, Davis said, per KXAN. The 17-year-old suspect had a previous warrant for theft of a gun, and the 15-year-old is accused of stealing a gun from the same location on Saturday. The pair are also accused of stealing four vehicles over the course of the shooting incident.
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Austin Police vehicle (stock image).
The third suspect is still at large, police said, and he is believed to be near the Austin suburb of Manor.
Police said the first shooting in the incident took place around 9 p.m. local time on Saturday on the 6700 block of Wentworth Drive in East Austin, when one suspect fired toward the city’s Fire Station 26, per CBS Austin.
Another shooting took place around 8 a.m. on Sunday near the intersection of Janes Ranch Road and Ballydawn Drive in Southeast Austin, where a male victim was shot once, per CBS Austin. Police said he remains in serious but stable condition.
Yet another shooting happened around 10:50 a.m. on Sunday in the 2800 block of Montebello Road, when shots were fired toward Fire Station 32, the outlet reported.
The AFD told KVUE that no firefighters were injured in the shootings, and only minor damage was reported. The Austin Firefighters Association also said that the shootings have not affected the response model from the AFD, which is still fully operational.
“Our members are continuing to respond city-wide to other reported shootings and to care for victims,” union president David Girouard told the outlet in a statement. “While our 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.”
After the two teenage suspects were arrested, authorities announced that a shelter-in-place order for the South Austin area had been lifted, but the Manor Police Department issued an order for some of the city, and the Travis County Sheriff’s Office asked the public to stay indoors until further notice as it conducted further law enforcement activity, KVUE reported.
Davis urged Austin residents not to leave their vehicles unlocked, as car theft has been a major part of the shooting “streak.”
The Austin Police Department also asked anyone with information about the incidents to call police at 512-974-5177 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 512-472-8477 or by visiting austincrimestoppers.org.
“A reward of up to $1,000 is available for information leading to an arrest,” police said.
