Austin, Texas (BN24) – A man with a documented mental health history opened fire in the parking lot of a Target store in Austin, Texas, on Monday afternoon, killing three people before stealing two vehicles in a chaotic escape attempt that ended with his arrest, authorities said.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis told reporters the shooting erupted around 2:15 p.m. outside the store in the Texas capital. Officers arrived to find three victims suffering from gunshot wounds in the parking lot. Two were pronounced dead at the scene, while the third was transported to a hospital, where they later died, according to Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz. A fourth individual sustained unrelated injuries and was treated on-site.
Davis said the 32-year-old suspect, whose name has not yet been released, stole a vehicle from the scene — believed to have belonged to one of the victims — and fled north. He later crashed that car, then stole another from a nearby dealership before being tracked to South Austin, where officers subdued him with a stun gun and took him into custody.
The shooting occurred amid busy back-to-school shopping, and nearby businesses, including a Jiffy Lube that shares the parking lot with Target, went into lockdown. Employee Paul Smith said he had just returned from the Target when he saw shoppers sprinting from their cars in panic.
“This is a very sad day for Austin,” Davis said, adding that no motive has been confirmed. “My condolences go out to the families.”
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called the attack “a sickening, cowardly act of gun violence” in a statement on X, expressing gratitude for the quick response by police and first responders.
Target has not yet issued a public comment. The shooting comes just over two weeks after an attack at a Walmart in Traverse City, Michigan, where 11 people were stabbed, highlighting a troubling string of violence at major retail stores nationwide.
