AUSTIN, Texas — At least 10 random weekend shootings across Austin left four people injured and ended with three young people in custody, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at a news conference Sunday. The spree began Saturday afternoon and continued into early Sunday, with suspects driving stolen vehicles and firing at multiple targets, including two fire stations, apartment complexes and private homes.
Two boys, ages 15 and 17, were apprehended Sunday after police pulled over a stolen car and the occupants attempted to flee on foot, Davis said. A third person who had been in the car also ran and was detained Sunday night at a gas station in Manor, about 15 miles northeast of Austin. Police said that individual was a juvenile but did not disclose an age or additional details.
Davis said the firearm used in the shootings had been stolen earlier by the 15-year-old suspect, and that the 17-year-old was already wanted in connection with a separate firearm theft.
The shootings unfolded as the suspects committed a string of robberies and fired indiscriminately at buildings, according to police. Two of the shootings targeted Austin Fire Department stations, though no firefighters were reported among the injured.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said investigators are still trying to determine a reason for the attacks. “We are looking at every angle,” Watson said, according to a pool report from the news conference.
The weekend violence has renewed attention on juvenile access to stolen firearms in the region. Officials have not released the names of the three suspects because they are minors. Charges are pending, Davis said, and the investigation remains ongoing.