Two shootings in downtown Austin, Texas, Sunday morning left a woman in her 30s dead and four others injured, according to local officials. But despite an “active shooter” scare that made instant, international headlines, the incidents are believed to be unrelated.
Austin police said that the 6th street area—an entertainment district packed with bars—played host. Both scenes were secured early Sunday morning.
The shooter remains at large, and has been described by Austin Police Chief of Staff Brian Manley as a “light-skinned black male or Hispanic male in their 20s.”
Sunday at 2:17am CT, Austin police received a call at 200 East 6th street about the shooting. Seven minutes later, a shooting at 800 Trinity—just a five-minute walk from the initial shooting, according to Google Maps—prompted Austin police to tweet about an “active shooter.”
“It was a very chaotic scene—a lot of people running in different directions,” Manley said in a press conference livestreamed on Periscope.
Police say this incident began as scuffle between individuals, but that the suspect began indiscriminately firing his weapon into the crowd. Anyone with cellphone footage is encouraged to send it to police3@austintexas.gov; Austin police’s homicide tip number is 512.477.3588.
On Twitter, a suspect was misidentified as Sam Hyde. Hyde is a YouTube-based prank comedian.
