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3 Shot to Death in Target Parking Lot

Suspect has a mental health history, Austin police chief says
Posted Aug 11, 2025 5:22 PM CDT
Shooting in Parking Lot of Austin Target Kills 3
Police work at the scene of a shooting at a Target in Austin, Texas, on Monday.   (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Three people were shot to death outside a Target store in Texas on Monday afternoon, Austin officials said. ABC News reports that a 32-year-old male suspect is in custody after fleeing in a stolen car. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said police called to the store found three people in the parking lot with gunshot wounds. Two were pronounced dead at the scene, and the third was pronounced dead at a hospital, per NBC News. Police released no other information about the victims, per the AP. "This is a very sad day for Austin," Davis said.

The gunman stole a car from the parking lot, killing the driver, and drove away, police said. After crashing the stolen vehicle, the suspect stole another one from a car dealership, per ABC. Police found the suspect in the southern part of Austin. Officers used a Taser on him, officials said, and took the man into custody. Davis did not identify the suspect but said he "does have a mental health history." Employees at an auto shop next door said they locked the doors and hunkered down when they realized a shooting was taking place. One said he saw people running from their cars in the Target parking lot in a panic. In a post on X, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called the attack "a sickening, cowardly act of gun violence."

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