Suspect ID'd in Texas shooting spree that left 6 dead, 3 injured

A 34-year-old man was identified Wednesday morning as the suspect in a central Texas shooting rampage that unfolded over eight hours on Tuesday in two large cities and left six people dead and several others injured, including two police officers, authorities said.

Austin police investigators “strongly believe” the suspect, Shane James, is connected to the violent string of incidents and was charged with capital murder, authorities said, adding that more charges were pending.

Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson said the chain of events occurred at four different locations in the state capital on Tuesday and one near San Antonio. She said the deadly crime spree began Tuesday morning with the shooting of an Austin Independent School District police officer near Northeast Early College High School, prompting a lockdown of the school.

Investigators are working to determine any relationship James may have had with the people who were shot and what prompted the violence.

Two victims found dead at the home near San Antonio Tuesday night are believed to be family members of the alleged shooter, though that is not yet confirmed by detectives.

“Based on the information obtained over the course of these investigations, we strongly believe one suspect is responsible for all of the incidents,” Henderson said at a news conference Tuesday night.

Henderson said investigators didn’t connect the series of episodes until the final one occurred around 7 p.m. Tuesday when an Austin police officer was wounded in a gunfight with the suspect in the backyard of a home, where two people were later found inside dead.

Henderson said the wounded officer, a 12-year veteran of the Austin Police Department, responded to the residence in southwest Austin after a 911 caller reported a burglary in progress at the location.

The officer went to the backyard of the home and encountered the suspect, who immediately opened fire, hitting the officer multiple times, Henderson said. She said the officer, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, returned fire but missed the assailant, who ran to a vehicle and fled the scene.

Other officers chased the suspect who crashed at an intersection and was taken into custody, Henderson said.

James was booked at the Travis County Jail on a capital murder charge and an outstanding assault with injury family violence warrant, according to Henderson.

Following James’ arrest, Austin police contacted the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and informed them that the suspect had a connection to a residence near San Antonio, which is about 80 miles southwest of Austin, said Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar.

Salazar said deputies sent to the house to do a welfare check on the occupants found a “grisly” scene and the bodies of two the victims, a man and a woman, both believed to be in their 40s or 50s, with fatal gunshot wounds and “wedged inside very small room.” Salazar said James’ link to the two victims remains under investigation.

Salazar said investigators believe the killings near San Antonio happened before the suspect went to Austin to continue his alleged killing rampage.

The series of shootings in Austin began at about 10:43 a.m. on Tuesday when the school resource officer was shot in the leg, Austin Independent School District Police Chief Wayne Sneed said.

About two hours later, a man and a woman were found shot inside a home near Shadywood Drive on Austin’s south side, said Austin police Sgt. Destiny Silva. She said officers responded to the home after multiple 911 callers reported gunshots coming from the residence.

Silva said one of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene and the other died after being taken to a hospital.

At about 5 p.m. Tuesday, a cyclist called 911 and reported he’d been shot and injured near the 5700 block of West Slaughter Lane in Austin police said.

Roughly two hours later, the gunfight between the veteran police officer and the suspect erupted on Austral Loop and the suspect was arrested.

Henderson said the gunfight between the suspect and the veteran police officer was captured on the cop’s body-worn camera and the footage will be made public within 10 business days in keeping with Austin Police Department policy.