One person was killed and another was shot and critically wounded in a shooting at an Austin, Texas, shopping center Thursday, police said.
The gunman was also found dead, Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson said.
“At this time, the relationship between the suspect and the victims are unknown,” Henderson told reporters after the incident that unfolded around 5 p.m.
The shooting happened in the area of an outdoor shopping center, The Arboretum, police said.
The first 911 call of a shooting came in at 5 p.m., Henderson said, and as officers were responding there was information that multiple shots had been fired.
Initially police believed there may be an active shooter, and called out its "counter assault strike team," and searched the areas for explosive devices because witnesses reported hearing explosions, Henderson said. None were found.
The person who was shot and wounded was transported to a hospital in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, Austin-Travis County EMS and police said.
Two others suffered minor injuries or complaints after the initial incident, the EMS agency said.
Two adults were declared dead at the scene, one of which was the shooter, Henderson said.
Police did not say how the suspect died. No one else is believed to have been involved, and there is no threat to the public, police said.
A woman who was in the area with her son told NBC affiliate KXAN of Austin that the shooting was frightening.
"It’s terrifying, because my dad lives in this area, I live in this area, my son goes to school in this area," the woman, who gave her name as Crystal, told the station. "It’s just scary to know that we were just a couple of businesses away from where this happened."
The shooting is still under active investigation and many details were preliminary Thursday night, police said. The gunman and victims have not been publicly identified.
"I would like to offer condolences to the families of the victims here today, in addition to the several witnesses that witnessed this tragedy here today," Henderson said.
A spokesperson for wpg, the owner of The Arboretum, said they are fully cooperating with police, and that "We are deeply saddened by this senseless act."
