Austin bomb suspect dies in pursuit
Texan detonates explosive as police close in on SUV
PFLUGERVILLE, Texas — After a string of exploding packages terrorized Austin for nearly three weeks, police said the search for a serial bomber ended in a suburb outside the Texas capital when the suspect blew up an explosive inside his SUV as officers closed in.
Authorities said the suspected bomber, identified as Mark Conditt, 23, of Pflugerville, was killed after the blast early Wednesday. Police tracked him down to a hotel north of Austin known as the scene for filming portions of “Friday Night Lights” and followed Conditt as he drove away, officials said, eventually approaching his SUV after he drove off the road.
As officers neared his SUV, banging on the vehicle’s window, Conditt detonated a bomb inside the vehicle, knocking back t wo approaching Austin SWAT officers. One SWAT officer then fired his gun at Conditt, who suffered “significant injuries from (the) blast,” said Brian Manley, the interim Austin police chief. It was not clear if Conditt was killed by the explosive or the gunfire.
Manley said “harrowing” video showed a “tremendous explosion” took place.
Police also discovered a 25-minute recording on a cellphone found with Conditt, and Manley said he considers it a “confession.”
But even as Manley said this violent encounter in Round Rock marked an end Conditt Authorities examine a red SUV belonging to Mark Conditt, who blew up an explosive inside the vehicle early Wednesday. to “three very long weeks for our community,” he and other officials said the danger may not be over.
Fred Milanowski, a special agent in charge with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the agency is urging caution, but he said the agency is reasonably certain there are no other devices.
The uncertainty came on the heels of a tense period in Austin as five bombs exploded in the city and nearby, killing two people and injuring four others, spreading fear of an attacker police described as skilled and capable of shifting tactics.
The investigation expanded, growing to include hundreds of law enforcement officials scouring Cen- tral Texas, before zeroing in on Conditt, a former student at Austin Community Coll ege who l i ved in Pflugerville, a small city in suburban Austin.
Manley said police believed Conditt was tied to all of the explosions. Officials had tied Conditt to the explosions first through his cellphone, said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who said authorities were able to track his movements while “he was little more than a suspect.”
The series of bombings began March 2, with a blast that killed Anthony Stephan House, 39, a father of a young daughter. Police initially said they thought it was an isolated incident. Then, 10 days later, another explosion killed Draylen Mason, a college-bound 17year-old known for his passion for music. Mason’s mother was also injured. Another explosive injured Esperanza Herrera, a 75year-old Hispanic woman visiting her mother, hours later.
Authorities said they were considering whether at least some of the victims were targeted because of their race. Then, just hours after police pleaded with the bomber to reach out and speak to them, an explosive rigged with a tripwire went off Sunday night in southwest Austin, injuring two white men walking through the neighborhood.
Early Tuesday, the case shifted with an explosion at a FedEx facility outside San Antonio. A package that was being shipped to Austin detonated, while investigators said they intercepted another sent through the same company in the Texas capital, and they quickly tied both to the same person responsible for the earlier bombings. FedEx said it gave investigators “exten- sive evidence” about those packages as well as the person who shipped them.
Other clues had emerged linking Conditt to the bombings, Abbott said. The SUV that officers had followed in Round Rock was seen at locations linked to the explosions.
Jay Schulze, who lives in Pflugerville, said he was jogging Tuesday night when he was stopped by police. He said police flew drones over Conditt’s home for about six hours Tuesday night and early Wednesday.
Schulze described the home as a bit rundown.
A neighbor who watched Conditt grow up said he always seemed smart and polite. Jeff Reeb said he has lived next to Conditt’s parents for about 17 years and described them as good neighbors. Conditt was the oldest of four children. All of them were home-schooled.
Conditt’s family released a statement saying they had “no idea of the darkness that Mark must have been in.”
Homemade explosives were recovered from Conditt’s home. His two roommates were detained for questioning. One was later released.
Abbott said he expected officers to find a “treasure trove of information” inside Conditt’s home that would explain his motivations.
“This is something that there is no rationale for, but we can try and understand what his motive was,” Manley said.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler said his city was breathing a sigh of relief.
“As a community we’re just really relieved and just incredibly thankful for this army of law enforcement that has been in our community here for the last week or so,” he said.