AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) – A Texas man killed his parents and four others in a series of attacks stretching from San Antonio to Austin, authorities said Wednesday.
Two police officers and a cyclist were also shot and wounded but survived, said Austin interim Police Chief Robin Henderson.
Police identified the suspect as Shane James, 34, of San Antonio. He was charged with capital murder following the incident, which started Tuesday morning and ended with James crashing his car that evening during a police pursuit.
James has a history of mental health problems and a prior arrest on charges of assaulting family members, authorities said.
His parents, Phyllis James, 55, and Shane James Sr., 56, were found dead in their home in the San Antonio area, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a news conference. Four more people were found dead in two homes in Austin, more than 80 miles away, officials said.
The Austin victims were not immediately identified.
A timeline provided by authorities revealed the wide ground the suspect allegedly covered between the attacks.
Henderson said an Austin Independent School District police officer was shot in the leg around 10:45 a.m. Tuesday in a parking lot at Northeast Early College High School.
Around noon, police responded to a home after getting calls about gunshots and found two people with signs of trauma. Police said one was dead and the other died at a hospital.
Another shooting happened shortly before 5 p.m. when a male cyclist suffered non-life-threatening injuries. About two hours later, police responded to a call of a burglary in progress at another home and found two people dead there.
Henderson didn’t say how those four people may have been killed.
During the last call, an Austin police officer saw a man in the backyard. The man shot at the officer and the officer returned fire, Henderson said. The officer suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to a hospital. The officer was listed in stable condition.
The suspect was chased by police until he crashed at an Austin intersection.
James’ parents were found dead after his arrest. Deputies who went to their residence saw water coming out of the home and forced their way inside, Salazar said. He said the deaths appeared to have occurred before the shootings in Austin.
Austin ISD officer shot at Northeast ECHS
AISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed said the sergeant who was shot is responsible for several campuses and was on his daily check of Northeast Early College High School when he was attacked. At about 10:40 a.m., he called to report he was taking on gunfire from someone and had been hit in the leg.
At about 10:43 a.m., a school resource officer from the campus arrived to provide backup and assisted the injured sergeant.
The campus went into lockdown at 10:46 a.m. About a minute later, APD and other agencies began arriving. Sneed said at least 15 agencies responded in total. The high school did a controlled release of its students due to the ongoing investigation, according to the district.
Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement Tuesday afternoon sharing his reaction to the officer being shot in the line of duty.
“Our hearts are with the family and loved ones of the Austin ISD police officer who was shot near Northeast Early College High School today,” Abbott said. “Our ISD police officers play a critical role on keeping Texas students and school faculty safe. The State of Texas is offering all available resources to local law enforcement partners who are working to ensure this dangerous criminal is caught and brought to justice. Cecilia and I ask our fellow Texans to join us in praying for the officer’s swift recovery and the entire Northeast Early College High School community.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
