Austin man charged with capital murder in deadly Target parking lot shooting spree Monday
The Austin Police Department said 32-year-old Ethan Nieneker was arrested on Monday and charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of first-degree felony murder.
Police identified the victims who were killed as Hector Leopoldo Martinez Machuca, Adam Chow and Chow's 4-year-old granddaughter.
According to police, officers responded to calls of multiple shootings at the Target parking lot near Research Boulevard at about 2:15 p.m., and when they arrived, they found Machuca in the parking lot.
3 Shot In Times Square, 17-Year-old Suspect Detained After Late-night Dispute
Machuca was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Read On The Fox News App
Officers also found a family, including Chow, his granddaughter and his wife. Chow and his granddaughter were both pronounced dead at the scene.
A preliminary investigation found that Nieneker allegedly attacked Target employee Machuca, who was collecting shopping carts when he was randomly shot.
Police said Nieneker then ran and began shooting at a Jeep Cherokee that attempted to evade gunfire. He then ran up to a Toyota 4Runner and allegedly shot Chow, who was in the driver's seat.
Shooting At Nevada Casino Resort Leaves Multiple People Injured; Suspect In Custody
After shooting Chow, Nieneker allegedly fired into the backseat and struck the 4-year-old girl. As Chow's wife carried their granddaughter from the SUV, the suspect allegedly pushed her from the vehicle before speeding out of the parking lot in the 4Runner.
Shortly after fleeing the parking lot, police said, Nieneker attempted to steal a water truck. But after an unsuccessful attempt, he returned to the Toyota and drove off.
Police responded to a call for a multi-vehicle crash and discovered the 4Runner crashed into a Volkswagen before landing on top of an Infiniti SUV.
After crashing, Nieneker went to the Volkswagen, allegedly assaulted the female driver, removed her from the vehicle and drove off.
Shooting At Tennessee Class Reunion Leaves 4 Hospitalized
Police said Nieneker also attempted to break into a Waymo vehicle, but after failing to do so, he drove off in the Volkswagen.
Just before 3 p.m., police received a call of a naked man walking through the backyard of a residence on La Casa Drive, who was seen running into a "porta potty" before fleeing on foot. The call came after an acquaintance of Nieneker reported to police that he had thrown a brick through his residence on the same street.
When police arrived, they saw Nieneker walking on Montclaire Street naked, and after he failed to comply with commands, officers tased him and took him into custody.
The officers also reported that they found matching clothing that was seen on the suspect inside the "porta potty."
"We have three people that are deceased. This is a very sad day for Austin," Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis said on Monday. "It's a very bad day for us all, and my condolences go out to the families."
A preliminary investigation found the suspect has a history of mental health issues, the chief said.
Davies told reporters the suspect has a rap sheet as well as emergency detention holds.
Davies told reporters the investigation has not revealed what led to the shooting, noting that police do not know if there was an altercation at this point.
Still, investigators will review surveillance footage outside of Target to get a better idea of what happened.
Target employees directed shoppers out of the back of the store, a source tells FOX Business.
"We are devastated by the violence that occurred today at our store in Austin, Texas. Our hearts are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, our team in Austin and all those impacted by this tragedy," Target said. "We are working with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation and are grateful to the first responders who acted quickly at the scene. In the days ahead, we will continue partnering with law enforcement and will be providing support resources, including grief counseling, to our team."Original article source: Austin man charged with capital murder in deadly Target parking lot shooting spree Monday
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
30 minutes ago
- Fox News
AG Bondi strips power from DC police chief, rescinds sanctuary city protections in crime crackdown operation
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a two-page order on Thursday rescinding illegal immigration protections in Washington, D.C., and naming an "emergency police commissioner" for the city's Metropolitan Police Department. Bondi's order, titled "Restoring Safety and Security to the District of Columbia," mostly took aim at sanctuary city policies within the nation's capital, rescinding any order that limits how Metropolitan police officers can handle interactions and incidents with illegal immigrants. She also stripped power from Metro Police Chief Pamela Smith by naming Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole as the department's "emergency police commissioner," granting him all the "powers and duties vested" in the position. Cole has the ability to issue general orders, executive orders and written directives affecting all members of the department, and existing department leadership must receive his approval before issuing directives of their own. Bondi also explicitly rescinded three orders issued by the Metro police within the past two years related to illegal immigration – the most recent one being an executive order issued by Smith earlier on Thursday limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. While Smith's order stated that Metro officers could now assist in "sharing information about persons not in MPD custody" and provide "transportation for federal immigration agency employees and detained subjects," it prohibited personnel from making "any inquiry through any database solely for the purpose of inquiring about" immigration status. "Members shall not arrest individuals based solely on federal immigration warrants or detainers as long as there is no additional criminal warrant or underlying offense for which the individual is subject to arrest," the order stated. Bondi rescinded that order hours later. She also suspended a June 2024 general order limiting inquiries into immigration status and an October 2023 general order preventing arrests solely for federal immigration warrants. "To the extent that provisions in this order conflict with any existing MPD directives, those directives are hereby rescinded," Bondi concluded in her order on Thursday. The order comes after President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Monday declaring a crime emergency in the nation's capital and announcing a federal takeover of the police department. Since then, federal law enforcement and the National Guard have been visible throughout the district. On Wednesday night alone, numerous agencies arrested 45 people – 29 of them illegal immigrants – as part of the major crime crackdown. "Residents of the District of Columbia, the thousands of Americans who commute into the District for work every day, and the millions of tourists from all over the world who visit our nation's capital have a right to feel safe and to be free from the scourge of violent crime," Bondi's order stated.
CNN
42 minutes ago
- CNN
Federal agents gather in DC to enforce Trump-directed crackdown on homeless encampments
Small groups of federal agents gathered throughout Washington, DC, on Thursday night to clear out homeless encampments as part of President Donald Trump's takeover of law enforcement in the nation's capital. In Washington Circle – an area in southwest DC close to George Washington University – confusion quickly developed when several agents showed up after dark. 'It was kind of a melee of (DC police), Secret Service, Customs and Border Patrol and the FBI,' Jesse Rabinowitz, the campaign and communications director at the National Homelessness Law Center, told CNN. CNN did not observe agents removing tents at the Washington Circle site. DC officials and homeless advocates were waiting for expected federal law enforcement action – and there were notices posted on tents in the circle giving the homeless occupants until Monday to clear out, creating some confusion among the federal agents who didn't seem to know about the Monday extension. CNN observed the notices from the DC Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, which gave occupants until 10 a.m. on Monday to leave. Lawyers from the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless intervened with the agents and pointed to the notice, according to Rabinowitz. After 'an extended back and forth,' the federal agents left the scene, he said. 'This is exactly what happens when you have a federal government take over a city they know nothing about and not care anything about,' he said. Homeless advocates had been bracing for the worst earlier this week, lobbying city officials to open up more shelter beds and mulling potential lawsuits in anticipation of federal officials' stepped-up efforts to move the homeless out. Meghann Abraham, whose tent is in Washington Circle, told reporters that she would peacefully pack up her things if she was told to, and that she wasn't scared, because she felt she wasn't doing anything wrong. 'A lot of people want to paint us as disgusting or criminals, and all of that stuff. Or they want to do it, like a charity case, like 'oh, the poor thing,'' she said to CNN-affiliate WJLA. 'We're just people. We're normal people out here working, trying to do well and things like this – to pack up every belonging I have and move to someplace else. That's a stress that shouldn't exist, but it is.' A major sweep took place earlier Thursday morning at an encampment near a highway close to the vaunted Lincoln Memorial and Kennedy Center, where Trump's motorcade often passes through. Last week, he posted photos of the encampment on social media. Trump, who announced aggressive new moves this week to federalize the local police force and deploy National Guard troops in the city, has also declared that homeless people 'have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,' and added, 'we will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital.' Kierstin Quinsland, spokesperson for Miriam's Kitchen in DC, told CNN earlier Thursday that they were aware that encampments throughout the city would begin to be cleared out that night, but the federal government hadn't shared a plan with outreach groups. 'This is definitely unprecedented,' she said, describing the scale of the planned clear outs. Some of the people who could be forcibly moved earlier in the day had been matched to housing programs, but because it takes a few months for things to get set in place, Queensland said she's worried about people losing their chance because they're going to be cut off from their support system. 'I think the problem that it solves is that people in the administration, including Donald Trump, don't want to see the fact that there are homeless individuals living outside, and whether they are in Virginia, in Maryland, or in a neighborhood that Donald Trump doesn't drive through, people will still be experiencing homelessness,' she added. CNN's Allie Gorden contributed to this report.
News24
43 minutes ago
- News24
Melania Trump threatens to sue Hunter Biden over ‘false, disparaging, defamatory' Epstein claims
US First Lady Melania Trump has threatened to sue Hunter Biden for defamation. Biden claimed she was introduced to her husband by Jeffrey Epstein. Biden refuses to apologise or retract the claims. US First Lady Melania Trump has threatened to sue former US president Joe Biden's son Hunter, for more than $1 billion over claims about Jeffrey Epstein. According to the BBC, Hunter claimed Epstein introduced the first lady to US President Donald Trump. While in jail on sex charges, Epstein died by suicide in 2019. But the first lady's attorney has demanded an apology, calling the claims 'false, disparaging, defamatory and inflammatory'. According to an AP report, Hunter's remarks were widely disseminated on social media and reported by media outlets around the world, causing the first lady 'to suffer overwhelming financial and reputational harm', her lawyer, Alejandro Brito, said. Trump and Epstein socialised before a fallout in the early name appeared multiple times on flight logs for Epstein's private plane in the 1990s, but he denied being on the plane. Trump fans have long demanded that all the Epstein files be released. The BBC reported that Hunter told filmmaker Andrew Callaghan that unreleased documents relating to Epstein would 'implicate' Trump. 'Epstein introduced Melania to Trump - the connections are so wide and deep,' he said. Brito said the claim was partially attributed to Michael Wolff, a journalist who authored a critical biography of the president. The first lady's attorney disparaged Wolff in June as a 'third-rate reporter'. Wolff has been accused of making up stories to sell books, according to the AP. A January 2016 profile by Harper's Bazaar reported that Melania met Trump in November 1998, at a party hosted by the founder of a modelling agency. She told the publication she declined to give him her phone number because he was 'with a date'. The profile said Trump had recently separated from his second wife, Marla Maples, whom he divorced in 1999. He was married to Ivana Trump between 1977 and 1990. READ | Epstein accuser Giuffre's family urges Trump: 'Never consider giving Ghislaine Maxwell any leniency' In the Daily Beast, Wolff reportedly claimed that Melania was known to an associate of Epstein and Trump when she met her now-husband. The outlet later retracted the story after receiving a letter from the first lady's attorney that challenged the contents and framing of the story, according to the BBC. Melania demanded an apology and retraction, but Hunter refused to back down, despite the threatened lawsuit. Hunter said that he did not think 'these threats of a lawsuit add up to anything other than a designed distraction'. Daily Beast Apologies and Retracts Article Alleging a Melania Trump-Jeffrey Epstein Link — MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) August 1, 2025 But he noted that if the lawsuit was filed, he would be able to collect testimony from both Melania and Trump through depositions and that he was 'more than happy to provide them the platform'. There is no evidence that Epstein introduced Melania to Trump, according to the BBC. The US president and first lady have long said they were introduced by Paolo Zampolli, a modelling agent, at a New York Fashion Week party in 1998.
