Attacks in 2 Texas cities leave 6 dead, 2 officers wounded; suspect in custody

Six people were killed and three others, including two police officers, were wounded in attacks Tuesday in Austin and San Antonio, Texas, authorities said. A suspect, identified as 34-year-old Shane James, was being held on capital murder charges, authorities said Wednesday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement that the suspect "must never see the light of day again."

"Texans grieve for the loved ones of the six Texans who were murdered by a hardened criminal," Abbott said. "... The State of Texas will provide all resources necessary to impose the full weight of law on this criminal for his despicable crimes."

The suspect was in the Army for two years, an Army spokesperson confirmed to CBS News. He was an infantry officer from February 2013 to August 2015, when he left the Army as a first lieutenant. The suspect had not been deployed overseas.

Tuesday's rampage was a complicated series of events that spanned about eight hours.

Interim Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson said at a news conference early Wednesday that officers responding to a burglary call found a man in a home's backyard Tuesday evening. According to Henderson, they exchanged fire and one officer suffered non-life-threatening wounds and was taken to a hospital. The man fled but later crashed the vehicle he was driving and was taken into custody. He didn't have any gunshot wounds, Henderson said.

Two apparent homicide victims were found in the home, and the suspect was charged with capital murder with more charges to come, Henderson said.

Just before noon, Austin police got a number of calls about what turned out to be a double homicide of a man and woman in another house, he said.

About an hour earlier, an Austin Independent School District police officer was shot, Henderson said. CBS Austin affiliate KEYE-TV reports that he was hit in a leg while patrolling at Northeast Early College High School. Wednesday classes there were canceled.

And just before 5 p.m., a bicyclist was shot, Henderson said. His injuries weren't life-threatening.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said in a late-night briefing that authorities in San Antonio were told by their counterparts in Austin Tuesday evening about an incident in San Antonio that may have involved a loss of life. Deputies then found the bodies of two people in a home. Those slayings are believed to have happened before any of the incidents in Austin.

Salazar said the bodies had likely been moved and were found in a small room against a door. He described the scene as "pretty grisly."

The suspect in Austin had links to the house in San Antonio, Salazar told reporters, but the nature of those links was unclear. Henderson said investigators concluded that all the incidents were connected after the last one happened.

In:
• Austin
• San Antonio
• Texas
• Shootings

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