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APD is searching for suspect Stephen Broderick.
Austin police lifted the shelter in place order after searching the area around 9600 block of Great Hills Trail near the Arboretum for a 41-year-old man named Stephen Broderick, who they believe is responsible for shooting and ultimately killing three people in Northwest Austin
As of 5 p.m., the suspect is still at large and considered to be armed and dangerous, though police do not believe he is actively targeting anyone else. During a press briefing at 4:45 on Sunday, APD Interim police Chief Joseph Chacon said they are switching the search from the immediate area to a fugitive search as they have exhausted all the leads they currently have.
Chacon confirmed during the briefing that Broderick was a former Travis County Sheriff's Office deputy. Chacon said they will remain on the scene for "several hours" and there were 75 FBI agents on the scene as of the briefing.
APD @Chief_Chacon provides updated media briefing in relation to Great Hills Trail incident. - PIO8 https://t.co/47siNWhARI
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) April 18, 2021
Police believe the victims, who have been identified as two Hispanic women and one Black man, knew their assailant. Chacon said a child was involved but is now safely in police custody. Broderick was described as 5 foot, 7 inches with a medium build and was last seen wearing a gray hoodie, sunglasses and a baseball cap.
"We're very sorry that obviously that this has happened and we continue to try and locate this individual, we are transitioning from a search in this area to a fugitive search and those efforts will continue until this person is located," Chacon said. "I don't want anyone to think that we're packing up and going home. We're going to continue to look for this individual because he continues to pose a threat to this community."
At a 2:30 p.m. press briefing, Chacon said APD responded to a "shoot, stab, hot shot" call on Great Hills Trail and Rain Creek Parkway at 11:46 a.m. to find the three victims with gunshot wounds. APD was joined by the Austin Fire Department. ATCEMS, the local chapter of the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, Department of Public Safety, and the Round Rock Police Department for support.
Though Austin Travis-County EMS originally reported it as an active shooter situation, police now believe the incident was an isolated domestic event.
"This is still an ongoing and active investigation and we do not have this individual in custody yet," Chacon said during the first press briefing. "We would ask if you have your neighbors, phone numbers, call or text them check on them and make sure that they're okay. We are concerned that he might possibly take a hostage and be himself sheltered somewhere waiting for us to leave."
At this time the Great Hills Trail scene is still active. We are still asking residents to shelter in place and report suspicious activity. While a suspect is still at large it appears this is a domestic situation that is isolated and there is no risk to the general public. -PIO8
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) April 18, 2021
Three helicopters and SWAT teams were sent to the area, as well as 18 ATCEMS response assets. According to Austin Police, the incident occurred at an apartment complex near Great Hills Trail and Rain Creek Parkway.
#texasshooting #masshooting Arboretum shooting Austin. pic.twitter.com/SkIsgDoYHt
— Jamie Hammonds (@jamie_hammonds5) April 18, 2021
APD announced at 1:02 p.m. that Loop 360 will be shut down in both directions from Spicewood Springs to 183 due to the incident. The roads will remain closed until law enforcement is able to wrap up the crime scene and units demobilize.
TRAFFIC UPDATE: Loop 360 will be shut down in both directions from Spicewoods Springs to 183 due to ongoing incident. - PIO8
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) April 18, 2021
This is a developing story.
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(Christa McWhirter/Austonia file)
Shortly after midnight on Friday, an officer and suspect were both injured in a shooting on the 3600 block of Highway 290 near I-35 in northeast Austin.
Officers responded to a call that said a victim was being followed and shot at by another driver. When the two officers arrived on the scene, they quickly found the unharmed victim in their car and began to look for the suspect, who had driven away.
Once officers found the suspect's truck on Highway 290's frontage road, they parked and got out of their car. The suspect immediately opened fire, injuring one of the officers with non-life threatening injuries. The suspect was given life-threatening injuries when officers shot back, said Interim Police Chief Joe Chacon at a briefing.
Both the officer and suspect were taken to the hospital and put into surgery. While the suspect's injuries were life-threatening, he is said to be in stable condition.
The crime follows a string of violent crimes that have plagued the city in recent weeks. In response, Chacon said the department is looking to roll out a violent crime initiative, which is set to have more information as early as next week.
"I think this is emblematic of the issues that I've been talking about for the last several days about gun crime that is happening here in the city in Austin," Chacon said. "It is highly concerning to me that we have these type of incidents and people shooting at officers, we need to get this under control."
Both bodycam and car camera footage captured the crime and will be used to investigate the incident and the officers' actions. Both will be put on routine administrative leave as the investigation continues.
Chacon said that he's glad no other officers were hurt.
"It's chilling," Chacon said. "We are lucky that we don't have more people that are injured right now, particularly our officers, who in the face of this danger, displayed bravery. "
While his name has not been disclosed, Chacon described the suspect as a Hispanic male in his late 20s or early 30s. The suspect could be facing charges including attempted capital murder, Chacon said.
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Jason Landry, the 21-year-old Texas State student who went missing four months ago, is still nowhere to be found.
Despite numerous search efforts, no trace of Landry has been found since his car was found crashed in the Luling area on Dec. 13.
Landry's case has been featured on Dateline and local news outlets across Texas in the months since he went missing. Most recently, podcast True Crime Chronicles released an episode dedicated to Landry this week.
The podcast features Landry's father Kent Landry, who said that Jason was getting his footing at Texas State and hoping to make it into the prestigious sound recording technology program before he went missing.
The podcast, that sits among other cold cases and stories on seriel killers, dives deep into the details surrounding that December night—including the window between when Landry's phone records stopped and his car was found crashed after appearing to hit two trees on the isolated Salt Flat Road.
Landry was on the way home from Texas State to Houston to celebrate Christmas, but appeared to make a detour along the way.
Investigators believe that Landry hit two trees and later a barbed wire fence after over-correcting on the gravel road.
Perplexingly, Landry's keys were still in the ignition, his car's headlights were still on and the passenger door was locked. His phone and wallet were found in his car, while a backpack with his laptop, gaming equipment and a small amount of marijuana were found 900 feet away. Alongside the backpack were toiletries, a baseball cap and a container of his dead betta fish, while some of his clothing including a shirt, shorts, underwear and a wristwatch were spread further along the road.
Investigators think that the clothes found were worn by Landry prior to the crash, although they could have also been packed beforehand. Despite the crash, there was no blood found in the car, but a small smear of blood was found on his shorts.
Kent Landry said that head injuries could have made him confused as he left the scene of the crash.
"It's possible that you're out of your mind and you think you're hot but you're cold," Landry said. "Did he change clothes? I don't know. I just have images of my child in the middle of the road in the country looking for help."
There are no leads on the circumstances surrounding the case, though it appears that the crash was a one-car collision. No sign of foul play has been found, KHOU reporter Grace White said on the podcast.
"It's just one of those situations where you don't know which direction to go," White said. "It's not even fair to call it a crime scene because we don't even know if a crime occurred."
Thousands of investigators and concerned citizens have pitched in to try to find Landry since he went missing. Search and rescue efforts lasted for nine days after he went missing, and a new three-day search was revamped with over 100 Search and Rescue crew members in late February.
According to the podcast, searchers found a glimmer of hope last week when cadaver dogs led them to a pond near where Landry went missing. The pond was drained, but nothing was found.
Kent Landry said that the family can only hope for more leads as they continue to search for their son.
"To think missing a turn could lead to something like this, it's beyond description," Kent Landry said. "It's a bad dream that we keep hoping we wake up from."
The requests for continued search efforts have been conducted through the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office. Anyone with tips or information regarding Landry can call 911, contact the office at 512-398-6777 or email Detective Jeff Ferry at jeff.ferry@co.caldwell.tx.us.
The Austin Police Department reported that two people were shot and a third person was stabbed after at least one suspect shot into a group of people during Easter celebrations just east of downtown on Sunday night.
APD received multiple calls that at least one shooter had opened fire into a crowd, which included families and large groups celebrating Easter, at around 8:15 p.m. Sunday at the 1600 block of Nash Hernandez Sr. Road, near Edward Rendon Park.
The suspect left the scene in a vehicle before police arrived, APD said. The department is currently holding a person of interest and is working with a vehicle description.
One person was escorted to the hospital with potential life-threatening injuries while another injured person was driven to the hospital, Austin-Travis County EMS said.
APD currently working a shooting incident with multiple injuries. Please avoid the area. On scene supervisor will give a media briefing at 9:15p. Please stage on the south end of the baseball field near 1600 Nash Hernandez Sr Rd. - PIO8
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) April 5, 2021
Police told the public to avoid the area as they work to confirm that there are no more victims.
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