The suspect and two victims were pronounced dead on the scene of the early morning shooting.
Four people are dead following a hostage situation and shooting that killed one Texas police officer and the suspect and wounded another officer.
The Austin Police Department said two civilians were found dead inside the home in southwest Austin when the incident was over.
Police said they were alerted to the situation by a 911 call just before 3 a.m. from a woman who said she was being stabbed. Officers arrived on scene eight minutes after the call and learned that two people were inside the home with the suspect, and they were injured. A third person escaped the home before police arrived and was found nearby by first responders.
The victim told officers the suspect still had the knife and was taken to a hospital for treatment of her injuries.
Police forced entry into the home at 3 a.m. but were forced to retreated when the suspect fired at them. The officers did not return fire at that time. Instead, they called for SWAT backup.
The SWAT team arrived at 4:11 a.m. and made entry into the home. Again, the suspect opened fire. The officers returned fire, striking and killing the suspect. Two SWAT officers were hit in the exchange of gunfire. They were both rushed to the hospital, where one died.
Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson said in an emotional briefing on Saturday that the two victims found inside with “fatal injuries” were pronounced dead on scene.
The chief said the department was not yet identifying the officers involved in the incident, the suspect, or the victims and said the wounded officer was in stable condition.
“We rely on brave people who are in harm’s way when they are serving us. We should never lose sight of that. This event jarringly brings home that truth. The danger and potential loss is not theoretical — it’s very, very real,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in a statement.
Henderson said police were still investigating the incident, with a concurrent investigation from its internal affairs department on the police shooting.
“This has been a very tragic day, a very tragic incident for all involved,” Henderson said.
No further information has been released.
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[Featured image: KEYE]
