A Texas man went on a shooting spree on Tuesday that stretched from San Antonio to Austin, leaving his parents and four others dead and three people wounded, authorities said Wednesday.
The carnage came to the end when the alleged shooter, 34-year-old Shane James of San Antonio, crashed his car Tuesday evening during a police chase, The Associated Press reported.
Police found James’ parents dead in their San Antonio area home, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a news conference, according to AP. The other four victims, who were not immediately identified, were discovered in two homes over 80 miles away in Austin, officials said. (RELATED: Man Allegedly Shoots To Death Two Climate Activists Blocking Highway)
Shane James, 34. Charged with multiple counts of Capital Murder.
This Is the man responsible for all the death and carnage yesterday. pic.twitter.com/NFxUbwQU3e
— DASH (@DocumentingATX) December 6, 2023
Two Austin police officers and a local cyclist are recovering from gunshot wounds, Austin interim Police Chief Robin Henderson said, adding that police have not established any relationship between James and the Austin victims, per AP.
Deputies were called to James’ parents’ house in August when James, who has a history of mental health issues, was reportedly behaving strangely in their yard while totally naked, according to AP. Upon arrival, deputies found James barricaded in the bathroom but they did not arrest him, as authorities are limited in their ability to use forced entry on a misdemeanor warrant, Sheriff Salazar said, the outlet reported.
“It’s always possible we could have done more, had they been able to safely put hands on him,” Salazar said, according to AP. “They were making every effort to avoid a violent confrontation with an unarmed man. That is a no-win situation for them.”
James has been charged with two counts of capital murder, AP noted.