Investigators across Central Texas are trying to piece together a string of fatal shootings that left six people dead and three others injured. We know most of those shootings happened in Austin throughout the day on Tuesday, but the rampage started in San Antonio. NBC 5’s Tahera Rahman joins us in the newsroom with new information from law enforcement there.
Investigators in Central Texas are working across city lines to piece together a string of fatal shootings that left six people dead, and three others injured.
On Wednesday, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar held a press conference to outline more about the case and suspect: 34-year-old Shane James, Jr.
Salazar said they believe James, Jr., fatally shot his parents, Phyllis James and Shane James, Sr.-- both in their 50s-- at their San Antonio home, sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning.
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“The last time we have a report that somebody spoke to these victims was at around 10 p.m. the night of the 4th," Salazar said.
He said that's when a sibling had talked to one of the parents, and around 9:00 a.m. the next morning, a neighbor saw James Sr.'s car missing and thought James Jr. may have taken it.
"One of the neighbors woke up, saw that the father’s vehicle was not in the driveway, which he found odd, for whatever reason," Salazar said.
Salazar said he doesn't know why James, Jr., went to Austin but said he has a sister there.
Salazar said his office had been called to the family's San Antonio home before, first in January 2022.
He said James, Jr., was arrested and charged in a domestic violence case.
“The allegation was pushing and scratching. There was no criminal history of this individual [at the time]," said Joe Gonzales, Bexar County District Attorney.
That's around the time when Salazar said they also learned of James, Jr.'s mental health.
“The family stated that James does not belong in jail, he has mental health issues," he said.
Salazar said they last got a call to the home from the dad--now dead-- just a few months ago, in August, saying his son was having an episode.
“He was naked, he was just… acting out, had a mental health episode, and he was upstairs in his bedroom," Salazar said.
At that point, he said James, Jr., had a warrant out for his arrest, for cutting off his ankle monitor back in March. However, Salazar said his deputies weren't able to get James, Jr., out of his blocked bedroom.
He said deputies asked James Sr. to call them if and when his son came out, so they could take him in.
Salazar said that the call never came.
He also said his office just found out on Wednesday that James, Jr., was in the U.S. military, discharged due to a domestic violence incident.
He and Gonzales said there was no way to know James, Jr., would go on an alleged killing spree.
“There was nothing to indicate that this individual was going to commit a murder, and certainly not one of this seriousness where you have multiple victims," Gonzales said.
The two officials said they hope to file charges against the suspect in the next day or two, aiming for murder or capital murder.
They said they won't be able to prosecute their case until Travis County finishes theirs. James, Jr., faces multiple counts of capital murder there.
“I wish there was more that the system could do for suspects like this man in custody," Salazar said.
The Travis County DA said James, Jr., is expected to remain in custody pending trial.
Records indicate Fort Worth Police arrested James, Jr., in 2017 for a misdemeanor.
Right now, authorities have not outlined a motive behind any of the shootings, or how any of the other victims may be related to the suspect.
