The Texas man accused of opening fire in a Target parking lot, killing two adults and a child, had a history of arrests for domestic violence and assault.
Authorities have not offered a possible motive for Monday’s shooting, which sent store employees and shoppers fleeing for cover. Austin police identified the suspect as Ethan Nieneker, who investigators say fired on shoppers and then stole two cars during a getaway that ended with his arrest on the other side of the city.
He was being held in Travis County jail on two counts of capital murder and one count of murder. Jail records do not list an attorney for him.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said Monday that the suspect had “a mental health history" but did not elaborate.
Online court records show that Nieneker had been arrested several times in recent years in both Travis County, which includes Austin, and neighboring Williamson County.
His arrests in Travis County included misdemeanors for criminal mischief and driving while intoxicated, and three arrests on felony domestic violence charges. He was convicted of a charge of assault causing bodily injury family violence in 2016 and briefly sentenced to jail.
Another charge within days of the 2016 episode was dismissed, according to court records. It was not immediately clear if those two charges were related. Another charge of felony assault on a family or household member in 2019 was dismissed three years later when prosecutors could not locate the victim.
Williamson County records show repeated run-ins with law enforcement, including two cases of misdemeanor family violence in 2015 that were later dismissed. He was also convicted of possession of marijuana in 2012 and entered a no contest plea to a charge of criminal mischief in 2016.
Monday's shooting came as back-to-school shopping was in full swing ahead of the upcoming academic year.
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An adult and child were pronounced dead at the scene, while another adult died after being taken to the hospital, according to Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services. The child’s age was not released.
Police said that after the shooting, Nieneker stole a car from the store parking lot, wrecked that car and then stole another from a dealership before being captured about 20 miles (32 kilometers) away, in south Austin, where he was taken into custody. Police said offices used a Taser to detain him.
Davis said they believe one of the people who was shot was the owner of the car stolen from the store’s parking lot.
The Target shooting comes just over two weeks after an attack at a Walmart store in Michigan. A man accused of stabbing 11 people at the Traverse City store on July 26 has been charged with terrorism and multiple counts of attempted murder.
