Austin shooting leaves at least 3 dead near The Arboretum shopping mall

A shooting near a popular Austin shopping mall named The Arboretum in Texas left at least three people dead, officials said Thursday. Photo courtesy of Austin Police Department/Facebook

Less than a minute later, the first units were assigned and responded to the scene. While they were responding, police received additional information that multiple shots had been fired in the shopping center and that at least one individual had been struck.

Police first arrived at the scene at 5:07 p.m. and quickly found at least two people who appeared to have been shot, Henderson said.

She said a Counter-Assault Strike Team was initiated “due to the limited information we had at the time and that there was a report of an active shooter incident, and that that there was an armed suspect.”

One victim was transported to the hospital with critical injuries at 5:17 p.m., she said. At 5:20 p.m., two people were pronounced dead on scene. When questioned, Henderson clarified the shooter was one of the people found dead.

Henderson’s comments appear to indicate that a total of three people were injured. Austin-Travis County EMS said in a statement that preliminary information indicated a total of five patients involved.

Multiple agencies responded including the ATF and the FBI, as well as the Austin Police Department’s bomb squad “as there had been initial reports of sounds of an explosion.”

Mental health professionals were also at the scene.

“However, the scene was rendered safe and there were no explosive devices located,” she said, adding that “there is no continued threat to the public.”

The relationship between the suspect and the victims is unknown, Henderson said. Police are seeking photos and videos from the public as evidence.