- By Madeline Halpert and Mike Wendling
- BBC News
The violence that began in the morning stretched into the evening
Police in Texas say a man shot his parents dead at the start of a shooting spree that killed a total of six and injured three others.
Shane James Jr is suspected of carrying out the rampage that began in San Antonio and ended in Austin.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said that two bodies were found in the San Antonio house where Mr James lived.
They have tentatively been identified as James’s parents, Phyllis James and Shane James Sr, the sheriff said.
Mr James Jr is charged with murder for four killings in Austin, authorities said. The murder charges for the San Antonio slayings are expected to be filed in the coming days, and he is expected to face other charges as well.
The suspect had a violent history and suffered from mental health issues, police said at a press conference Wednesday.
Mr Salazar said the police had been called to the family home in August 2023, that Shane James Jr had been arrested on domestic violence charges the previous year, and that he had been discharged from the US Army because of a domestic violence incident.
Mr and Mrs James were shot dead at the house they shared with their son sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning, he said.
After allegedly killing his parents, Mr James Jr then travelled to Austin, about an hour and a half away, where he carried out a string of attacks.
Robin Henderson, interim chief of the Austin Police Department, said at an earlier press conference that her department received a call at 10:43 EST (15:43 GMT) that a school district police officer had been shot at Northeast Early College High School.
The school, in north Austin, locked down after the gunfire was heard.
Another shooting later Tuesday morning killed a man and woman further south in Austin, Ms Henderson said.
A male cyclist then was shot on Tuesday afternoon. He survived the attack.
Police were then called to an Austin home for a reported burglary on Tuesday evening. There they found Mr James Jr in the home’s backyard.
He “immediately opened fire”, Ms Henderson said.
The officer who found the suspect was shot multiple times and two people were later found dead in the house.
Mr James Jr then led police on a car chase and was caught after he crashed his vehicle.
The officer allegedly shot by Mr James Jr is in stable condition, as are the school police officer and the cyclist. All are expected to survive their injuries
Image source, Austin Police Department
Police have released a mugshot of the suspect, 34-year-old Shane James
The sheriff said Mr James Jr was charged with misdemeanour domestic violence against his parents and a sibling in January 2022. He was eventually released on bail.
In August 2023, police were called to the house again on reports that Mr James Jr was suffering from a mental health episode. Deputies attempted to bring him into custody on the previous domestic violence charges, but could not coax him out of a bedroom at the house.
Police could not legally break down the door because the charges were misdemeanours, Mr Salazar said. The officers told Mr James Sr to call them when his son emerged, but the suspect’s father never asked them to return.
It was the last interaction that police had with the suspect before the fatal shootings, according to the sheriff.
As the crimes were misdemeanours, Mr Salazar said, police did not actively seek to arrest Mr James Jr over his outstanding warrants.
Following reports of the shooting spree, Texas Gov Greg Abbott praised law enforcement and said the state grieves “for the loved ones of the six Texans who were murdered”.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
