Police in Texas said that a suspect was taken into custody after 6 were killed and 3 injured in a series of homicides and shootings across two Texas communities. Four people were killed and two police officers shot in Austin on Tuesday, and the suspect, identified on Wednesday as Shane James, was also linked to the deaths of two people near San Antonio. Authorities said that James will be charged with capital murder.
Interim Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson told reporters that the “series of violent incidents” began on Tuesday morning “and extended into the evening,” adding that her department “and other law enforcement had not determined these incidents were connected to the last incident that occurred tonight when the male suspect was taken into custody.” James was arrested after he crashed his vehicle while speeding away from a shootout with a police officer that left them with “multiple gunshot wounds.” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a separate news conference that the deaths of two more people were being investigated in connection with the shootings in Austin, and that the suspect was linked to a residence near San Antonio where authorities found “two apparent victims,” both “believed to be in their 50s.”
José Garza of the Travis County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement: “Our hearts break for the shooting victims, injured officers, their families, and our communities impacted by yesterday’s senseless and tragic gun violence.” Garza adde that it is expected that the suspect will remain in custody pending trial.
Gov. Greg Abbott thanked law enforcement on social media, and said that “violence will never be tolerated …Texans grieve for the loved ones of the six Texans who were murdered by a hardened criminal who must never see the light of day again. The State of Texas will provide all resources necessary to impose the full weight of law on this criminal for his despicable crimes.”
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