Target shooting suspect seen in mugshot
The man accused of opening fire outside of a Target in Texas, killing three people, has been pictured for the first time in his mugshot looking bloodied and bruised. Austin Police told the Daily Mail on Monday night Ethan Blaine Nieneker, 32, has been taken into custody in connection with the deadly shooting on Monday afternoon.
The department released his booking photograph on Tuesday, showing him staring straight at the camera with several fresh cuts on his face. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said during a press conference on Monday that he stole two cars after the shooting, and wrecked the first one while fleeing from cops. Nieneker was described as white and wearing a Hawaiian shirt at the time of the shooting.
He is accused of opening fire at shoppers at the Target store on Research Boulevard in northern Austin, Texas, shortly after 2pm. Police said they received calls about the shooting 15 minutes later and rushed to the scene within four minutes.
They found three people bleeding out with gunshot wounds in the parking lot. Medics pronounced two of the victims dead at the scene, while a third died from their injuries while being rushed to hospital. The gunman fled the scene in a vehicle he stole from the parking lot at the Target store, which police said they believe belonged to one of the victims.
Davis said he 'wrecked' the car and leapt into another vehicle from a Volkswagen dealership nearby, and continued leading police on a chase. Cops pursued the shooter for 18 miles through the heart of Austin. They caught him in the south of the city where they deployed a taser before taking him into custody.
Police Chief Davis told reporters on Monday evening that Nieneker has a history of mental illness and a prior criminal history. Records obtained by the Daily Mail show he has been arrested numerous times since 2011, including an apprehension in August 2015 for assaulting a family member.
Nieneker was also previously arrested for driving while intoxicated twice, criminal mischief and a violation of a bond or protective order. A suspected motive for the shootings and the names and ages of the victims have not yet been disclosed. Shoppers and employees at Target said they ran for cover when they heard gunshots ring out in the parking lot.
'I was inside the store, but then I hear on the radio like shots fired, so then they just told us "active shooter..." so we just ran outside, we told guests to get out,' Target employee Freyen Sagastume told KXAN. 'I thought that this only happened like in the news and stuff and then like I kind of just froze at first, but then I saw everyone running.'
Meanwhile, at the nearby Jiffy Lube, employees hunkered down and locked the store's doors when they became aware there was a shooting outside. One mechanic, Paul Smith, told Spectrum Local News he saw people running from their cars in the parking lot in a panic. 'I had just gotten back from the Target like a minute before,' he said.
A spokesperson for Target also said it will be providing counseling to staff members who experienced the shooting. '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,' the spokesperson said.
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