Attacks in 2 Texas cities leave 6 dead, 2 officers wounded; suspect in custody

TEXAS: Six people were killed and two police officers and a third person were wounded in attacks Tuesday in Austin and San Antonio, Texas, authorities said. A suspect, identified as 34-year-old Shane James, was being held on capital murder charges, authorities said Wednesday.

Authorities described a complicated series of events that spanned about eight hours.

Interim Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson said at a news conference early Wednesday that officers responding to a burglary call found a man in a home’s backyard Tuesday evening. According to Henderson, they exchanged fire and one officer suffered non-life-threatening wounds and was taken to a hospital. The man fled but later crashed the vehicle he was driving and was taken into custody. He didn’t have any gunshot wounds, Henderson said.

Two apparent homicide victims were found in the home, and the suspect was charged with capital murder with more charges to come, Henderson said.

Just before noon, Austin police got a number of calls about what turned out to be a double homicide of a man and woman in another house, he said.

About an hour earlier, an Austin Independent School District police officer was shot, Henderson said. CBS Austin affiliate KEYE-TV reports that he was hit in a leg while patrolling at Northeast Early College High School. Wednesday classes there were canceled.

And just before 5 p.m., a bicyclist was shot, Henderson said. His injuries weren’t life-threatening.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said in a late-night briefing that authorities in San Antonio were told by their counterparts in Austin Tuesday evening about an incident in San Antonio that may have involved a loss of life. Deputies then found the bodies of two people in a home. Those slayings are believed to have happened before any of the incidents in Austin.

Salazar said the bodies had likely been moved and were found in a small room against a door. He described the scene as “pretty grisly.”

The suspect in Austin had links to the house in San Antonio, Salazar told reporters, but the nature of those links was unclear. Henderson said investigators concluded that all the incidents were connected after the last one happened.

Courtesy: cbsnews