Austin Target Shooting Suspect Ethan Nieneker Shared Right-Wing Memes
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The man accused of fatally shooting three people outside a Target store in Austin, Texas, shared right-wing memes and posts on Facebook.
Ethan Nieneker, 32, is charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of murder over Monday's shooting.
Newsweek has contacted Republican Governor Greg Abbott's office for comment via email.
The Context
Police said the gunman killed an employee collecting shopping carts outside the store, then a man and his 4-year-old granddaughter in a sport utility vehicle. The suspect then fled in that vehicle, causing multiple crashes and stealing other cars before being subdued with a Taser and taken into custody.
The victims were identified Tuesday by police as Hector Leopoldo Martinez Machuca, 24, Adam Chow, 65, and Chow's 4-year-old granddaughter, local news station KVUE reported.
What To Know
Nieneker has shared several posts attacking liberal politics and Democratic figures on Facebook over the years, according to a Newsweek review of his page.
His social media history was first reported by MeidasTouch News.
In June 2019, he shared a photo of a person wearing a makeshift hat with the words "2020 President Trump will be reelected," writing alongside it: "America AF."
Ethan Nieneker, 32, is charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of murder over Monday's shooting in Austin.
Ethan Nieneker, 32, is charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of murder over Monday's shooting in Austin.
Austin Police Department
In August that year, he shared a meme that depicted former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost the presidential election to Trump in 2016, shooting Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who authorities said died by suicide while in prison.
Two posts that Nieneker shared in June 2019 criticized prominent progressives—Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
One post criticized Sanders for flying in first class on a domestic flight, while the other mocked Ocasio-Cortez for crying near "an empty parking lot" at the U.S.-Mexico border. The photos of Ocasio-Cortez were taken in 2018 outside a facility housing migrant children during a protest against the first Trump admin's family separation policy.
In June 2018, Nieneker shared a USA Today article on his page, about a billboard in Texas that urged "liberals" to continue driving until they had left the state.
A month prior, he shared a meme showing a man holding two automatic rifles, one in each hand, that was captioned: "This is how I feel about gun control. Please unfriend me if you disagree."
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at a news conference that Nieneker had a history of mental health issues.
Court documents reviewed by Newsweek show he has a lengthy criminal history, including at least 24 charges for offenses including assault causing bodily injury, criminal mischief and driving while intoxicated. He was convicted of a charge of assault causing bodily injury family violence in 2016 and briefly sentenced to jail.
What People Are Saying
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at a press conference on Tuesday: "What happened yesterday was an unprovoked and deliberate attack, a deliberate act of violence. Innocent lives were taken in broad daylight in a place where people should feel safe to run their everyday errands and to live their everyday lives.
"The actions of the suspect showed a complete disregard for human life and the pain caused will be felt by our community for years to come."
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, a Democrat, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "Make no mistake—yesterday's [August 11] attack was a sickening act of gun violence that took the innocent lives of a 4-year-old child, her grandfather, and a Target employee.
"I know that all Austinites join me in deep sympathy for the Martinez Machuca and Chow families. We grieve with them and lift them up in this time of need. Austin is heartbroken."
Target said in a statement to Newsweek: "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."
What's Next
The investigation is ongoing.
The Austin Police Department is urging anyone with information to contact them at 512-974-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting http://austincrimestoppers.org or calling (512) 472-8477.
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