Austin Police Lift Shelter-in-Place Order After Multiple Shootings

Austin police lifted a shelter-in-place order covering a large section of south Austin on May 17 after a series of random shootings across the city. The department reported ten shooting incidents between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, with four people injured. One victim sustained serious injuries while the other three received minor wounds.

Two suspects are in custody and a third remains at large in the Manor area. Police described the suspects as two Hispanic males in their late teens and said they had been stealing and switching vehicles during the incidents. The vehicles included a black or dark blue 2012 Hyundai Sonata with a broken right passenger window, a gold Hyundai sedan, a silver Mazda four-door, and a white Kia Optima.

Police urged residents not to leave vehicles unlocked.

Davis said one of the arrested suspects is 15 and the other is 17. The 15-year-old allegedly stole the gun used in the shootings. Because both are juveniles, police are taking them to juvenile detention rather than conducting interviews. Police tracked two suspects to a barn on Ralph Ritchie Road near Greenbury, where the pair barricaded themselves before officers took them into custody.

The search continues for the third suspect in the Manor area, where residents should expect continued police activity.