San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Fourteen injured in shooting in Austin’s downtown
Fourteen people were injured, with two in critical condition, after a gunman opened fire early Saturday on Austin’s popular Sixth Street, just blocks from the Texas Capitol, where legislators last month made it easier to obtain handguns and pledged to punish cities for defunding police.
The shooting brought the two issues to a head with renewed calls for gun control legislation and additional resources for police.
Police said Saturday afternoon that they identified two male suspects, one of whom was in custody. The second suspect remained at large. It was unclear whether both suspects opened fire, but the incident appeared to be an isolated dispute between two parties, police said.
“Most of the victims were innocent bystanders,” Interim Chief of Police Joseph Chacon said. “But we’re still sorting out all of the victims to see what their involvement is in the case.”
Several 911 calls came in around 1:30 a.m. from people in the 400 block of East Sixth Street, a crowded bar scene in downtown Austin. Initially, three victims were reported, but it quickly became clear that more people were shot, authorities said. Police arrived and started providing emergency medical care, including applying tourniquets and chest seals.
“At this moment, we don’t have any persons who are deceased,” Chacon said. “What became very clear early on in this
incident is that our officers responded very quickly. They were able to immediately begin applying lifesaving measures for many of these victims.”
The crowds made it difficult for the city’s Emergency Medical Services to access the scene, so several officers drove victims to the hospital in their squad cars, he said.
Police are reviewing available videos as they investigate the cause of the shooting, officials said.
“We’re going to solve this case, and we’re not going to spare any resources,” Chacon said.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler urged witnesses and tipsters to contact police with any information they believe might be relevant.
“We are fortunate not to have any fatalities but remain concerned for the two individuals in critical condition,” Adler wrote on Twitter. “We are now focused on catching the suspect.”
Adler said the “uptick in gun violence” in Austin was part of a disturbing rise in shootings across the country as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes. The mayor said the crisis demands a broad, coordinated response from all levels of government.
“One thing is clear — greater access to firearms does not equal greater public safety,” Adler said.
“We must recommit and double down on efforts locally to reduce violence, reduce the widespread proliferation of guns and save lives,” Austin City Council member Greg Casar added.
Austin police officers, meanwhile, decried the
spike in violence and asked city officials to give the department additional resources
and funding.
“Our patrol officers & detectives stayed extremely
busy this morning working one of the worst acts of violence in Downtown
Austin,” the Austin Police Association tweeted. “Austin is no longer the safe, fun and weird city it use to be.”
The City Council voted last year to cut Austin’s police budget by one-third amid nationwide calls to “defund” police departments and reallocate that money to social services. The city’s move came as the Austin Police Department faced scrutiny for its use of force against protesters and after an officer killed an unarmed Black and Latino man
2020.
State lawmakers have since targeted Austin for slashing the department’s budget, approving legislation this year to financially penalize big cities that cut police funds.
This session, lawmakers also expanded gun access, passing a so-called constitutional carry law allowing Texans to carry handguns in public without a license. The measure awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature.
“I am angry because the politicians of Texas have failed to keep their constituents safe,” said state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin. “Every day in Texas, 10 people die from gun violence. Yet the Legislature just spent five months making it easier for violent people to get guns.”
Republicans championing permitless carry have said the legislation only codifies the Second Amendment rights of lawabiding people and that criminals determined to obtain guns and cause violence will do so regardless of state law.
News of the shooting shook politicians and gun control activists nationwide, as the country also recognized the five-year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. Fla. On June 12, 2016, a gunman opened fire in the club, killing 49 people and injuring 53 more; at the time, it was the deadliest shooting in the U.S.
“This morning, Austin has become just the latest American community to wake up ravaged by an act of senseless gun violence,” White House spokesperson Ike Hajinazarian said in a statement.
“While we pray for the shooting’s victims and their families — and thank first responders for their quick, heroic work — we must not lose sight of what this tragedy again makes clear: It’s long past time for the Senate to pass meaningful gun reform and allow Texans — and all Americans — to enjoy a night out without the fear of another night of gun violence.”
in
April