On Thursday, August 31, a shooting incident occurred at a prominent shopping center, the Arboretum, in northwest Austin, Texas.
The incident resulted in two fatalities, including the suspected shooter, and injured another person critically.
In a news conference, Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson expressed condolences to the victims’ families. He noted that the motive behind the shooting remains unclear, and authorities are trying to determine if there was any connection between the shooter and the victims. The shooter and victims have not been publicly identified.
Local witnesses were caught off guard. Daniel Kwak, a chef at the Arboretum’s Hanara Sushi and Grill, recounted how security alerted them of the shooting. Jeffrey Laartz, a tourist from Germany, realized the situation after seeing a heavy police presence and a circling helicopter.
As per the Gun Violence Archive, the U.S. has already witnessed 479 mass shootings this year. Just days ago, separate incidents in Louisville, Kentucky, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill resulted in multiple casualties.
