BREAKING NEWS: THIRTEEN people are injured after shooter opens fire in Austin’s busy entertainment district – and lone gunman is still on the run
- Gunfire erupted just before 1:30am along 6th Street while it was still heaving with drinkers on Friday night out
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Thirteen people were injured Saturday after a shooter opened fire in Austin’s busy downtown entertainment district – with the lone gunman still on the run.
Gunfire erupted just before 1:30am along 6th Street while it was still heaving with drinkers, who were seen sprinting into bars and restaurants in an attempt to flee.
Two of the injured people were in critical condition but no one has yet died, interim Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon said at 4am local time.
Units from Austin’s gang and homicide units are now at the scene, as are agents from the FBI’s terrorism task force. The shooter’s motivation is not yet known.
Police said they have a general description of the male suspect and believe the shooting was an isolated incident, but cannot say if the public are still at risk.
Shocking video from the aftermath of the shooting saw crowds of revellers still queuing outside a bar while officers responded to the incident in the background.
The crowds posed problems to the emergency services response, with officers forced to transport some of the victims to hospital in their cruisers because it was hard to get ambulances through the mass of revellers.
The street was barricaded and bars later ordered to close so police could collect evidence.
Eleven of the injured people were taken to one local hospital, another person was taken to a different hospital, and the other person went to an urgent care facility with gunshot wounds.
‘Our officers responded very quickly,’ interim police chief Joseph Chacon said.
‘They were able to immediately begin life-saving measures for many of these patients, including applications of tourniquets; applications of chest seals.’
The shooter was not immediately arrested.
Chacon said the description that police had of the suspect was ‘not very detailed,’ but said the person was believed to be a man.
Investigators were reviewing surveillance video and other evidence from the area, Chacon said.
He asked anyone with information on the shooting to contact police.