Three juveniles were arrested after investigators connected them to 12 random shooting incidents that took place in Austin, Texas, in which four people were injured and two fire stations were targeted.
Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis said that two teenagers were taken into custody on Sunday, May 17, following the shootings. The shooting spree began late on Saturday, May 16, and continued into the morning of May 17.
“We have two suspects in custody,” Davis said during a press conference on May 17, per CBS News. “We have a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old in custody.”
Meanwhile, the Manor Police Department said that a third suspect was taken into custody late on May 17. The third suspect, who has been identified as a 16-year-old male, fled from a vehicle after a pursuit that took place earlier that day.
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Police insisted that there is no ongoing threat to the public following the three arrests.
The suspects allegedly stole multiple vehicles throughout the spree, where they shot at apartment complexes, homes, pedestrians and two fire stations.
Following the arrests, authorities learned that the 17-year-old had a warrant connected to the theft of a firearm from the same store where the 15-year-old allegedly stole another gun.
One fire station was shot at twice and a fire truck was struck with firefighters nearby, according to Davis.
Four people were shot during the incident, according to authorities. One victim suffered critical injuries and is now in stable condition, while the three other victims sustained non-life-threatening wounds.
Emergency responders treated the four victims at four separate shooting scenes across the city, according to Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz.
“At this time, most of the shootings have occurred in South Austin,” Davis said during the press conference. “No specific motive, and they appear to be random in nature.”
When the shootings began, authorities initially told residents to shelter in place as officers searched for the suspects. The shelter-in-place order was later lifted after the first two suspects were taken into custody.
Police said the suspects used several stolen vehicles during the spree and urged people to lock their cars.
Authorities explained that the investigation began after officers received reports that a vehicle and firearm had been stolen from an apartment complex. Investigators later connected the incidents as additional shootings started to be reported around the city.
Davis said that the investigation was “complex” because of the number of scenes, stolen vehicles and random shootings that took place around Austin.
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The suspects have not yet been identified, though Mayor Kirk Watson reiterated that the attacks appeared to be random.
“We don’t have any specific motive that has been identified. In fact, these actions appear to be random,” Watson said, per NBC News.
The Austin Police Department did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the shooting spree.
