GhLinks Media
The suspect arrested in connection with a series of shootings that have killed six people, injured two police officers have been identified as Shane James.
Shane James, 34, was booked in Travis County Jail in the early hours of Wednesday on four counts of capital murder as well as three other out of jurisdiction crimes that are not specified.
Who is Shane James?
Shane James was a soldier in the US Army.
He held a security clearance that lapsed in 2020.
He worked many jobs since leaving the army.
He has extensive experience with firearms working as an instructor at multiple shooting ranges.
Timeline of events
- Two people were killed in Bexar County before the suspect went to Austin, the sheriff said.
As police in Austin investigated the suspect following his arrest, they connected him to an address in Bexar County and contacted authorities there, Sheriff Javier Salazar said during a news conference Tuesday night.
Deputies were sent to check out the home and discovered water leaking from the home so they decided to force their way in, Salazar said.
The deputies discovered a “pretty grizzly crime scene” inside with two people dead, the sheriff said.
The relationship, if any, between the suspect and the people in the home is unclear, Salazar said.
“This is a very quiet family. The gentleman that lives in the home, he’s very involved in the community, in the neighborhood watch,” Salazar said.
- Around 10:40 a.m. a school resource officer was shot in Austin, police said.
The first shooting in Austin happened when an Austin Independent School District officer was shot near Northeast Early College High School. The officer was shot in the leg and was stable, Austin Independent School District Police Chief Wayne Sneed said.
The school went on lockdown as another school resource officer assisted the injured officer, Sneed said. It and nearby International High School are closed Wednesday as the investigation continues, district officials said.
- Around noon, two people killed at a home miles from the school, police said.
A little more than an hour later, Austin Police responded “to multiple calls for help” at a location about 12 miles away from the high school, Austin Police Sgt. Destiny Silva said Tuesday afternoon during a news briefing.
“The callers reported hearing gunshots and stated that there was two possible victims,” Silva said.
“Our officers arrived on scene at approximately 12:04 p.m. and located a male and a female victim with obvious signs of trauma to their body.”
One victim died there and the other was pronounced dead at the hospital, Silva said.
- Around 5 p.m. a man on a bike was shot, police said.
The third incident in Austin occurred around 4:57 p.m., “when Austin 911 received a call at 5701 West Slaughter Lane” about a male cyclist who said he had been shot. The man suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Henderson, the police chief, said.
- Around 7 p.m. an officer was shot while responding to a burglary call and two people are found dead in the home, police said.
About two hours later, a police officer responding to a burglary call in southwest Austin was shot in an exchange of gunfire with a suspect. The officer had non-life-threatening injuries and the suspect wasn’t injured, Henderson said.
The suspect fled the burglary scene in a vehicle, Henderson said, and officers pursued him. The suspect crashed the vehicle around 7:14 p.m. and was arrested, the chief said. He had a firearm on him, Henderson said.
During the pursuit, additional officers who responded to the home for the burglary call checked inside the house and found two people dead inside, said Henderson.
After his arrest, the suspect was taken to the Travis County Jail and charged with capital murder, Henderson said.
“He was also booked in for an outstanding assault with injury (and) family violence warrant, further charges are pending,” said the chief.
