Austin mass shooting: Gunman on the loose as injury toll rises to 13

Police investigate the scene of a mass shooting in the 6th Street entertainment district area of Austin, Texas. Photograph: Nuri Vallbona/Reuters

Police in Austin, Texas, said they were looking for a suspect in a shooting early Saturday in the city's downtown entertainment district that injured 13 people.

Authorities said they reacted to reports of many shots being fired about 1.30 a.m. and found many individuals with gunshot wounds who were injured.

According to the Austin Police Department, a total of 13 people were shot or injured. Eleven of the casualties were in stable condition, while two were critically ill. There have been no fatalities reported.

Police said they didn't know if there was just one suspect or if there were more, but described one of them as "a black male with dreadlocks, wearing a black shirt, and having a slender physique."

At a press conference, the APD's interim chief, Joseph Chacon, stated there were initial reports of three shooting victims in the neighborhood of 6th Street. When emergency services arrived, that was quickly updated.

“Our police were quite quick to respond,” Chacon said. “They were able to undertake life-saving treatments for many of these patients right away, including the use of tourniquets and chest seals.”

Due to the nature of the incident, where it was difficult to corral the throng and send ambulances to those who were injured, Chacon said several officers carried patients to hospitals in their police cars.

The shooter was not apprehended right away. The suspect's description was "not very detailed," according to Chacon, but the person was believed to be a man.

Many of the shooting victims were transferred to surrounding hospitals in police cars, according to Chacon, because EMS was unable to reach the scene due to the large crowds.

Police were checking surveillance video from the vicinity at the time, according to Chacon.

“Detectives from our aggravated assault and homicide team, as well as members of our organized crime and gang divisions, are investigating to see if this was a gang-related occurrence. It's unclear what started this, but we've contacted the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force out of an abundance of caution.”

Publish : 2021-06-12 22:28:00

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