Early this morning, a gunman erupted fire on a popular West Sixth Street bar in Austin, resulting in multiple fatalities and more than a dozen injuries. At least three people have been confirmed dead, including the suspected gunman, and 14 hospitalizations have been reported. In an early morning briefing, Mayor Kirk Watson noted that he’s very thankful for the speed with which our public safety officials responded to the incident. “I don’t think there’s any question that it saved lives,” Watson said.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said: “This is a tragic, tragic incident. I want to start by saying how fortunate we were. If you imagine all the resources that [Austin Police Department] has on East Sixth Street on the weekend, and fortunately those resources after the bars were closing were able to rapidly move here… This incident started with calls for a male shooting at Buford’s bar on West Sixth Street. Officers immediately transitioned and came over East Sixth to West Sixth Street and were faced with the individual with a gun, and three of our officers returned fire, killing the suspect.”
Community members searching for loved ones related to the shooting have been asked to call the Austin Police Department Victim Services Unit at 512-974-5037.
For developing news on the mass shooting, visit statesman.com.
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