An army veteran is accused of murdering his parents before killing four others during a shooting spree across Texas on Tuesday.
Local authorities said 34-year-old Shane James. Jr., who is currently being held in the Travis County Jail, allegedly carried out the massacre that began in San Antonio and ended in Austin.
Details of the massacre
At a press conference on Wednesday, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said two bodies were found in the San Antonio-area home where James lived after deputies forced entry into the home.
The victims have been ‘tentatively identified’ as James’ parents, Phyllis James, 55, and Shane James Sr, 56.
Investigators believe they were killed sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning.
How James carried out the massacre
Subsequently, James drove about an hour and a half away to Austin, where local police said in a press release that he allegedly carried out four separate shootings.
Police were first called around 10:43 a.m. to Northeast Early College High School, where a school district officer had been shot and wounded, the release states.
As a result, the school went on lockdown and classes and after school activities were canceled Wednesday, Texas Public Radio reports, citing police.
Police’s intervention
At 11:59 a.m., a man and woman, identified by police as Emmanuel Pop Ba and Sabrina Rahman, were killed in a shooting in a residential neighborhood, according to police.
Nearly six hours later, at 5:47 p.m. , police responded to a location in the city where a cyclist had been shot. Police said the victim is recovering from injuries.
The last shooting happened at about 6:48 p.m., police said.
When officers responded to the city home where a burglary had reportedly occurred, they encountered a man who was later identified as James, the release alleges.
Official statement
The suspect ‘immediately fired several gunshots’ at an officer. Police said the officer returned fire in the suspect’s direction, but at that point, the officer had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
‘James was not struck by gunfire during this incident,’ Austin police said in the release.
‘Two victims were located inside the residence with fatal injuries and were pronounced deceased on the scene.’
The officer, whose name has not been shared, has since been released from the hospital and is expected to recover, police said.
James was subsequently arrested on four counts of capital murder in connection with the Austin killings and outstanding misdemeanor charges.
It’s unclear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.
