The man who fatally shot three people in the parking lot of a Target in Austin, Texas, was identified as 32-year-old Ethan Nieneker.
Austin police said the shooting was random.
“Ethan Nieneker, 32, went on the deadly rampage Monday afternoon in Austin, using a gun obtained by a family member to fatally shoot Target employee Hector Leopoldo Martinez Machuca, 24, Adam Chow, 66, and Chow’s young granddaughter, the Austin Police Department announced Tuesday,” the New York Post reported.
““He said that he was Jesus and there was no real reason whatsoever given,” Austin Homicide detective Nathan Sexton said of the accused mentally ill gunman’s violent spree,” according to The Post.
Nineker has a criminal record and a “mental health history.”
The shooting took place in the Target parking lot on Research Blvd.
Nineker reportedly fled in a stolen in vehicle after he killed three people, including a child.
The 32-year-old crashed the vehicle as he fled so he hijacked a second vehicle and sped off before officers used a taser to take him down.
CBS News reported:
Police have identified the man accused of fatally shooting three people, including a child, outside a Target store in Austin, Texas, on Monday.
Authorities said Tuesday that 32-year-old Ethan Nieneker, who has a criminal record and a history of mental health issues, opened fire around 2:15 p.m. in the parking lot of the Target at 8601 Research Boulevard in North Austin. Two of the victims, an adult and a child, died at the scene. A third victim died after being taken to a hospital. A fourth person was treated at the scene for unrelated injuries.
After the shooting, investigators said Nieneker stole a car and fled, crashing it shortly afterward. He then allegedly hijacked another vehicle and drove off again before officers used a Taser to detain him in South Austin, Police Chief Lisa Davis said.
