Man accused of killing 2 adults, child in Target parking lot had numerous run-ins with police

The Texas man who is suspected of killing two adults and a kid by shooting at a Target parking lot has a history of charges for assault and domestic abuse.

Store staff and customers fled for safety after Monday’s shooting, for which authorities have not provided a potential motive. The defendant, identified by Austin police as Ethan Nieneker, was arrested on the opposite side of the city after detectives claim he shot on people and then stole two automobiles during an escape.

He was being held in Travis County jail on one murder charge and two capital murder charges. His lawyer is not listed in jail records.

Lisa Davis, the chief of police in Austin, stated on Monday that the suspect has a history of mental illness, but she did not provide further details.

According to online court records, Nieneker has been arrested multiple times in the past few years in both nearby Williamson County and Travis County, which encompasses Austin.

In Travis County, he was arrested on three felony domestic violence charges in addition to misdemeanors for criminal mischief and driving under the influence. In 2016, he was found guilty of assault inflicting bodily harm in a family violence case and received a brief jail sentence.

Court documents show that another charge was dropped within days of the 2016 incident. The connection between those two allegations was not immediately apparent. When prosecutors were unable to find the victim, a felony assault charge against a family member or household member in 2019 was dropped three years later.

Numerous encounters with police enforcement are documented in Williamson County records, including two misdemeanor family violence prosecutions in 2015 that were later dropped. In addition, he was found guilty of marijuana possession in 2012, and in 2016, he pleaded not guilty to a charge of criminal mischief.

As back-to-school shopping got underway in anticipation of the new school year, Monday’s shooting occurred.

In case you missed it, investigators in Georgia have identified a 30-year-old man as the suspect in the CDC shooting.

According to Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, an adult and kid were declared deceased at the site, while another adult passed away after being transported to the hospital. The age of the youngster was not disclosed.

Following the shooting, according to the police, Nieneker stole a car from the store parking lot, destroyed it, and then stole another car from a dealership before being apprehended in south Austin, some 20 miles (32 kilometers) away, and put into custody. According to police, he was detained with a Taser.

According to Davis, they think the owner of the vehicle that was taken from the store’s parking lot was among those shot.

The Target shooting occurs a little more than two weeks after a Michigan Walmart shop was attacked. A guy has been charged with terrorism and several charges of attempted murder in connection with the July 26 stabbings of eleven individuals at the Traverse City business.