6 Dead in Texas Shooting Spree

Authorities in Central Texas are trying to form a complete picture of an apparant Tuesday shooting spree that left six people dead and three others injured, including two police officers. An unidentified male suspect in his 30s is in custody and charged with capital murder, per the AP. It was only after the suspect was apprehended that police began to understand the extent of his alleged crimes, said Austin Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson. The suspect is thought to have killed a man and a woman in their 50s in a Bexar County home before traveling to the Austin area, where he shot and injured an Austin Independent School District officer in a parking lot of Northeast Early College High School around 10:40am, police said, per CNN and the AP.

He allegedly shot and killed two people in a home about 12 miles from the school around noon, then proceeded to shoot and injure a bicyclist around 5pm. About two hours later, an Austin police officer was shot and injured while responding to a burglary call at a southwest Austin home where two additional victims were found dead. The suspect fled the home in a vehicle that crashed minutes later. He was then arrested. Police noted he was found with a firearm. "We strongly believe one suspect is responsible for all of the incidents," Henderson said at a press conference early Wednesday, emphasizing that "law enforcement did not determine that these incidents were connected until the last incident occurred" Tuesday night.

While investigating the suspect, Austin police connected him to an address near San Antonio and reached out to law enforcement there, said Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar. When deputies arrived at the home, they found the first two victims dead inside. Salazar described it as a "pretty grisly crime scene," per CNN. "This is a very quiet family," he added. "The gentleman that lives in the home, he's very involved in the community, in the neighborhood watch." Henderson said it was not known whether the suspect was connected to any of the victims. He was booked into Travis County Jail "for an outstanding assault with injury [and] family violence warrant," the chief said, per CNN. In addition to capital murder, further charges are pending. (More Texas mass shooting stories.)