Austin police are currently investigating a homicide that occurred in northeast Austin on Thursday evening. Officers responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls at around 5:54 p.m., which reported a shooting at a shopping center located on the 6400 block of East U.S. 290 Highway frontage road, according to CBS Austin.
The first officers reached the scene within two minutes, finding an individual with significant trauma. APD along with Austin Fire and Austin-Travis County EMS immediately performed life-saving measures on the victim. Despite their efforts, the victim later died at a local hospital at approximately 6:26 p.m., as Officer Leah Ratliff stated during a media briefing, as reported by KXAN.
A student from the nearby College of Healthcare Professionals, Christina Muhammad, described the chaos that ensued, "Well I know first there were gunshots, then from there we saw people everywhere," she recounted in an interview with CBS Austin. Muhammad continued her classes yet remained in contact with her family to assure them of her safety amid the situation.
Detectives who arrived on the scene have collected firearms or other evidence related to the incident, no arrests have been made yet, as the investigation continues. Though the authorities believe this to be an isolated event with no current threat to the public, they urge the community to stay vigilant. Ratliff emphasized that out of respect for the families, no details on the suspect or victim are being released at this moment but assured that information would be disclosed when appropriate, as per KXAN.
Anyone with information is encouraged to come forward and contact the APD Homicide tipline at 512-477-3588 or the Crime Stoppers line at 512-974-8477.
