A gunman who opened fire inside a luxury hotel just blocks from the Texas capitol early Sunday, killing one person, was shot to death by police, police said.
At a news conference, Assistant Chief Brian Manley described a chaotic scene in which the gunman, who was not identified, walked around the lobby of the Omni Austin Hotel just before 5 a.m. with a rifle. "He shot and killed one person down in the lobby," Manley said. "He then fired multiple shots inside the Omni."
During a call to the police, Manley said, the 911 operator heard crying and yelling in the background.
When two officers arrived minutes later, a chase and a shootout between the police and the gunman followed. At 4:55 a.m., Manley said, "the officers advised that the suspect was down."
The officer who fired the fatal bullet, a five-year veteran, has been placed on administrative duty pending an investigation — a standard practice, Manley said.
Neither the officers nor witnesses had been interviewed yet, Manley said, adding, "We don't have any information at this point that leads us to believe that this was anything other than random."