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Dec 6, 2023 · By JIM VERTUNO and ACACIA CORONADO. Updated 3:56 PM PDT, December 6, 2023. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas man killed his parents and four others and wounded two police officers in a daylong trail of violence stretching from San Antonio to Austin, authorities said Wednesday.
- Overview
- Shootings across Texas
- Who is the suspect?
- 'There was no crystal ball'
Six people were found dead and three injured after a string of homicides and shootings unfolded across two Texas communities Tuesday, and a suspect was taken into custody and charged with capital murder, police said.
Four people were killed and two police officers were shot in Austin on Tuesday, police said. The suspect is also believed to have killed his parents in the San Antonio area, according to authorities.
Police identified the suspect Wednesday as Shane James Jr., and the two victims in San Antonio were identified as his parents, Shane James Sr., 56, and Phyllis James, 55.
James, 34, is suspected of killing his parents with a "large caliber handgun" sometime between 10 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m. Tuesday, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. They were not found until Tuesday evening.
"While we don't know exactly where during that time frame that these victims were killed, we're asking the public that if you live in that neighborhood, please make it a point to check your doorbell camera video," he said.
In Austin, the Austin Police Department identified the deceased as Emmanuel Pop Ba and Sabrina Rahman, as well as two other people who have not been identified by police. They were killed at different locations.
The first call came in at around 10:43 a.m. local time, when police were told that a sergeant with the Austin Independent School District police force had been shot, Henderson said.
Wayne Sneed, the school district’s police chief, told NBC affiliate KXAN of Austin that the officer had been shot in the leg but was expected to be released from the hospital.
Shortly after that incident, Henderson said, police received multiple calls about a double homicide in Austin.
Pop Ba was found dead in the shooting in the 7300 block of Shadywood Drive, and Rahman was rushed to a hospital and later died, police said. Their connection to the suspect, if any, was not immediately clear.
Later, Henderson said, a male cyclist was shot, although he suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
At around 6:54 p.m., Henderson said, the “male suspect immediately opened fire” on an Austin police officer responding to a burglary call after he was found in the backyard of the residence.
James was an Army infantry officer from February 2013 to August 2015, an Army spokesperson said. He had no deployments, and his last rank was first lieutenant, the spokesperson said.
Officials at the news conference acknowledged his history of mental illness but said they did not know about other accusations against him, including from when he was in the military, and don’t believe they would have had access to that information at the time of his arrest.
“We know now that there was a domestic violence incident of some sort in the military,” Salazar said, adding, “I don’t know to what extent, I just know it had something to do with why he left the military.”
The Bexar County Sheriff's Office said James had been arrested in January 2022 on three charges of assault, bodily injury of a family member. Court documents state that he allegedly pushed his parents.
Salazar said Wednesday afternoon the charges against the suspect stemming from the arrest were misdemeanors. Conditions of his bond initially included no contact with the alleged victims, Salazar said, but when authorities spoke to James' family, they indicated he had mental health issues and did not belong in jail. The bond conditions were changed to the suspect's not having threatening contact with the alleged victims, Salazar said.
The suspect spent months in jail and was released in March 2022, but he promptly cut off his ankle monitor on March 8, Salazar said, which prompted authorities to obtain an arrest warrant for violating bond on the assault charges.
Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales, who spoke at Wednesday afternoon's media briefing alongside Salazar, said deputies and prosecutors had limited information that James was capable of extreme violence.
"There was no crystal ball," Gonzales said. "There was nothing to indicate that this individual was going to commit a murder, and certainly not one of this seriousness, where you have multiple victims and you have a capital murder that we have today."
Salazar and Gonzales indicated they expected James to be charged with murder but hoped for capital murder.
Gov. Greg Abbott thanked law enforcement and said that "violence will never be tolerated."
- 2 min
- Josh Cradduck,Henry Austin,Antonio Planas
Dec 6, 2023 · Crime. TIMELINE: How Tuesday’s shooting spree in Austin, Bexar County unfolded. by: Christopher Adams. Posted: Dec 6, 2023 / 01:24 PM CST. Updated: Dec 8, 2023 / 11:18 AM CST. AUSTIN (KXAN) —...
Dec 6, 2023 · Shane James, 34, was identified as the suspect in a series of shootings across Texas. Austin Police Department. The suspect allegedly carried out the homicides at four different locations in...
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- 1 min
- Phil Helsel
Dec 6, 2023 · Texas shooting spree leaves 6 dead including gunman’s parents – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. gun violence. Texas gunman's parents among 6 killed in wave of violence in Austin, San Antonio. The...
Dec 6, 2023 · At nearly 5 p.m., police received a 911 call that a male cyclist had been shot at 5701 W. Slaughter Lane. He suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, Henderson said. Almost two hours...
