Police were searching for two people suspected in a mass shooting on a crowded downtown Austin, Texas street early Saturday in which 14 people were wounded, including two critically.
Interim Police Chief Joseph Chacon said the shooting on a street packed with bars and barricaded off from vehicle traffic occurred at around 1:30 a.m. and that investigators believe it started as a dispute between two parties.
He said police are searching for two male suspects, but he declined to disclose details such as whether both fired shots, saying the investigation was ongoing and the department was working to take them into custody.
“Most of the victims were innocent bystanders, but we’re still sorting out all of the victims to see what their involvement is in this case,” Chacon said.
Get daily National news
The mass shooting — one of at least three in the U.S. overnight — sparked panic along 6th Street, a popular nightlife destination in the city that’s home to the University of Texas.
One witness, Matt Perlstein, told KXAN-TV that he was waiting with a friend to enter a bar when the shooting began.
“Everything was totally fine,” Perlstein said, then gunfire erupted. “We just heard like … a bunch of gunshots going off. Everyone got on the ground. We couldn’t even comprehend what was going on at the time.”
Chacon said his officers responded quickly to the scene.
“They were able to immediately begin life-saving measures for many of these patients, including applications of tourniquets; applications of chest seals,” he said.
Because of the chaos on the barricaded street, police drove six of the wounded to hospitals in their squad cars. Ambulances transported four people and the other four made their own way to hospitals, he said.
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement thanking police and other first responders and offering prayers to the victims. He said the state Department of Public Safety is assisting in the investigation.
- 12-year-old shoots, kills black bear attacking his dad in Wisconsin
- Mohamed Al-Fayed, whose son died with Princess Diana, accused of multiple rapes
- Yellowstone Park tourist burns leg after going off trail near Old Faithful
- Hezbollah chief says Israel crossed ‘red lines’ with exploding device attacks
-
![]()
Booby-trapped two-way radios used in 2nd round of deadly coordinated attacks in Lebanon -
![]()
Portugal wildfires: Emergency services pushed to limit as reinforcements arrive -
![]()
Lebanon pager attack: World leaders say blasts pose ‘serious risk of dramatic escalation’ -
![]()
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to fight charges with ‘all of his energy’
Comments