Three killed in shooting outside Texas Target store

A gunman opened fire on August 11 in the parking lot of a Target store in Austin, the capital of the US state of Texas, killing two adults and a child before fleeing and stealing two cars during a getaway that ended with police using a Taser to detain him, authorities said.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis told reporters the suspect, a man in his 30s with “a mental health history,” was taken into custody on the south side of the city, about 20 miles (32 kilometres) from the scene. Police said they were still working to determine a motive, Caliber.Az reports, citing AP.

According to Davis, the suspect initially fled the store’s parking lot in a stolen car, crashed it, and then stole another vehicle from a dealership before being captured. Officers had responded to an emergency call at around 2:15 p.m. local time (19:15 GMT), finding three people with gunshot wounds in the Target parking lot.

Police believe one of the victims was the owner of the first stolen car. An adult and a child were pronounced dead at the scene, while another adult died after being taken to hospital, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services said. A fourth person was treated for a minor medical issue unrelated to gunshot wounds.

“This is a very sad day for Austin. It’s a very sad day for us all and my condolences go out to the families,” Davis said. She did not release details about the victims.

Witness Lonnie Lee, 22, said she had been at the Target with her sister just hours earlier before leaving for lunch with their grandparents. When they returned to shop again, they found the parking lot cordoned off and filled with police.

“We got really, really lucky,” Lee said. “And some people didn’t.”

The shooting occurred during the busy back-to-school shopping season.

Target said in a statement it was “devastated” by the incident and would provide grief counselling to employees.

“Our hearts are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, our team in Austin and all those impacted by this tragedy,” the company said.

By Sabina Mammadli