() Police have arrested a man allegedly connected to the shooting deaths of two adults and a child in the parking lot of a Target store in Austin, Texas, on Monday.
The Austin Police Department identified Ethan Nieneker, 32, as the suspect in the triple homicide investigation.
Records related to Nieneker show a 2017 conviction on a felony charge of assault causing bodily injury to a family member, affiliate KXAN reported.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the suspect is a man in his 30s with “a mental health history.”
Police are set to hold a news conference at 2 p.m. CT Tuesday to share more details regarding the shooting.
Police working to determine motive
Davis said officers responded to a call at about 2:15 p.m. Monday and found three people shot in the Target parking lot. 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 suspect fled the scene in a stolen car, wrecked that car and then stole another from a dealership, Davis said. He was captured about 20 miles away, in south Austin, where he was taken into custody, she said during a news conference on Monday.
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. EMS officials said a fourth person was treated for a minor medical complaint not related to traumatic injuries.
Target said in a statement that they were “devastated” by what happened, and that they would be providing grief counseling to their team.
“Our hearts are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, our team in Austin and all those impacted by this tragedy,” the statement said.
Police said they were still working to determine a motive.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
