Shooting injures more than a dozen people in Downtown Austin
NOTE: This story has been updated after a 1 p.m. press conference by interim APD Chief Joseph Chacon.
Police are investigating a shooting early Saturday morning in Downtown Austin, and APD officials say 14 people are hurt, two of them critically.
It happened at around 1:25 a.m. in the 400 block of East 6th Street.
The Austin Police Department says they received multiple 911 calls of shots fired in the area. The initial report was of three people injured, but as officers arrived it became clear there were many more victims.
A recording of the police dispatch audio was released by @ATXScan, allowing the public to listen in on officers' communication as the tense moments unfolded.
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At the time there were large crowds on 6th Street and it was difficult for EMS vehicles to immediately respond to the scene. Because of that, officers had to drive some of the injured people to the hospital in their patrol vehicles, APD officials said.
Austin Police officers transported six victims to a local hospital, four were transported by Austin-Travis County EMS medics, and four were taken by a private vehicle. Police said 11 of the victims were taken to the same hospital, one was taken to a different hospital, and one person was driven to an urgent care facility for treatment.
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Detectives are reviewing surveillance camera footage of the incident. Saturday morning APD said the FBI had been called in to help investigate because it was an "active shooter" type situation.
At a 1 p.m. press briefing on the shooting, interim APD Chief Joseph Chacon said two males had been identified as suspects, and they are actively working to get them into custody. Right now, it’s believed the incident started as a disturbance between two parties, but the majority of the shooting victims appeared to be innocent bystanders. The suspects could face charges from deadly conduct to attempted murder.
In addition to the FBI, the Texas Department of Public Safety and agents with the ATF are also assisting with the investigation.
"We will seek justice. We're going to get the people responsible into custody," interim police chief Joseph Chacon said. "I just want to assure the public. We're going to solve this case," he added.
Chief Chacon said DPS will help with security in the downtown area Saturday night and it will be evaluated on a daily basis if to see if that need continues.
Anyone with information is asked to call police. People can call 911 or 512-472-TIPS if they wish to remain anonymous. Any witnesses with video are asked to come forward and share with detectives.
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Chacon did say officer staffing continued to be a challenge downtown, even with offering overtime. A new cadet class has begun after being suspended for almost a year.
