Pictured: Gunman who ‘killed three' in Texas Target rampage
Ethan Nieneker, 32, is accused of killing a man, a four-year-old girl and her grandfather in a car park in Austin on Monday.
Austin police shared a mugshot of Mr Nieneker, which shows gashes and bruises around his eyes.
The alleged killer, whom police described as having a 'mental health history', was detained following a police chase that involved two cars he had stolen for his failed getaway.
Officers said he was found naked holding a Bible and claiming to be Jesus.
Mr Nieneker is being held in Travis County Jail on murder charges.
He already has a lengthy criminal record, including arrests for assault, family violence, drunk driving and criminal mischief, Fox News reported.
The shooting unfolded at around 2.15pm local time, when Mr Nieneker allegedly entered the shop car park and opened fire with a handgun at random, killing Hector Martinez Machuca, Adam Chow and his granddaughter.
He first approached Machuca, a Target employee, shooting him as he collected carts outside the store, according to Austin Police Sgt Nathan Sexton.
Mr Nieneker is then alleged to have approached a family getting into a Toyota, where police said he gunned down Mr Chow and his granddaughter, before assaulting the man's wife and stealing their car.
Mr Machuca later died in hospital, while Mr Chow and his granddaughter both died at the scene. His wife suffered minor injuries as a result of her assault.
As Mr Nieneker made his hour-long getaway, Sgt Sexton said he was responsible for causing at least one crash, attempting to steal a truck, assaulting another woman who he threw from a vehicle during a car-jacking, and attempting to break into a taxi.
Mr Nieneker was eventually tasered by police around 20 miles from the scene and taken into custody, while the murder weapon was recovered from the Chow family's Toyota 4-Runner, police said.
In addition to murder charges, Mr Nieneker is expected to face charges related to assault, vehicle theft and property damage.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said: 'This is a very sad day for Austin. It's a very sad day for us all and my condolences go out to the families.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
19 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Thieves steal $2m in jewelry in under two minutes at Seattle store
Smash-and-grab thieves in Seattle made off with an estimated $2m in diamonds, luxury watches, gold and other items in a daring midday jewelry store robbery that took just about 90 seconds, police said on Friday. Video from the west Seattle store's surveillance cameras shows four masked suspects shattering the locked glass front door with hammers and then ransacking six display cases on Thursday. One display held about $750,000 worth in Rolex watches, police said in a statement, and another had an emerald necklace valued at $125,000. A masked suspect threatened workers with bear spray and a stun gun, police said, but no one was injured. 'We're pretty shook up as a staff,' Josh Menashe, the vice-president of the family-owned store, said by phone on Friday to the Associated Press. 'We're gonna be closed for a while.' Menashe said workers finished cleaning up the broken glass and were working on a full inventory of the losses. Police said they responded to the robbery but the suspects had already fled in a getaway car and eluded a search of the area.
BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
Bristol: Two arrested after man assaulted in Castle Park
Two people have been arrested after a man was assaulted in a city centre park. The man, in his 30s, was injured in an "incident of disorder" in Castle Park on Saturday at 06:03 was taken to hospital with injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening or life-changing, Avon and Somerset Police men have been arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent and remain in police custody, with officers still on the scene in the park. Officers are urging anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or who may have information that could help their inquiries, to get in touch.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
British ‘victim of US rapist' has case dropped
A woman who claimed she was raped in Britain by American sex offender Nicholas Rossi has accused the Crown Prosecution Service of not doing its job after it refused to prosecute him. Rossi, 38, who faked his own death in 2020 and fled to Britain in order to avoid charges against him in the US, was convicted of rape in Utah this week. But the CPS has declined to prosecute over a former girlfriend's allegations he raped her at her home in Chelmsford, Essex, in 2017, saying there is insufficient evidence. The woman, named only as Michelle, began a relationship with Rossi in 2017 after meeting on an online dating app. 'We cannot prove rape' She said he claimed to be a Harvard-educated political lobbyist, and once they were in a relationship, he demanded she buy him an iPhone, give him money and never wear trousers. Rossi is accused of tracking her whereabouts and raping her in her own bedroom, after which she threw him out and reported him to the authorities. But after an Essex Police investigation, the CPS decided not to prosecute him. 'We cannot prove that [Rossi] was aware that you did not want to have sex with him at the point of penetration despite your earlier refusal and the fact that you were not actively participating in the intercourse,' Helen Walsh, the district crown prosecutor, wrote in a letter dated July 24, according to The Times. 'I appreciate that you will be very unhappy and distressed that this case could not proceed but I am grateful that you felt able to raise your concerns.' Rossi has denied the accusations. Michelle told the newspaper: 'I am very happy that Nicholas Rossi has been found guilty of rape in Utah, But I am shocked, distressed and angered that no action will be taken in my case in the UK. 'It feels to me like the CPS are blaming the victim rather than doing their job. The authorities in the US believed the woman, took action and secured a unanimous conviction despite similar amounts of evidence existing in both cases. 'I am deeply concerned for other rape survivors in England who are fighting for justice and are reliant on receiving support from the CPS.' Rapist trapped on Covid ward Rossi, originally from Rhode Island, was arrested in Glasgow in 2021 while receiving treatment for Covid-19 after hospital staff recognised his distinctive tattoos from an Interpol red notice. He insisted he was Arthur Knight, a disabled Englishman who was being framed for the crimes. But he was extradited after a Scottish court ruled he was Rossi and on Wednesday, he was found guilty by a court in Salt Lake County, Utah, of raping his former fiancée. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A spokesman for the CPS said: 'Our prosecutors take the greatest care when examining allegations of rape – looking at the facts of each case in detail. 'After a careful review of all the materials in this case, we concluded there was not enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of securing a conviction. 'A request to review this decision led to a second prosecutor reviewing the case, who reached the same conclusion, and we wrote to [Michelle] to explain our decision-making. 'We consistently charge around 7 in 10 of the rape cases passed to us by police, but we recognise there is more we can do in partnership with police to build the strongest possible cases from the outset.'
