Suspect Named in Austin Shooting That Killed 3

(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

By    |   Tuesday, 12 August 2025 12:00 PM EDT ET

The Austin Police Department identified Ethan Blaine Nieneker as the suspect in Monday's shootings outside of a Target store in Austin, Texas, that killed three people.

Police say Nieneker, 32, opened fire in the Target parking lot before fleeing in a car he stole from the lot, a vehicle police believe belonged to one of the victims. After crashing that car, police say he stole a car from a Volkswagen dealership before being apprehended by police with a Taser.

CBS Austin reported Nieneker was booked into Travis County jail on three charges: capital murder by terror threat, capital murder of a person under 10 years of age, and first-degree murder.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said Nieneker has "a history of mental illness and a prior criminal history.”

Nieneker has at least six previous charges in Travis County and five more in Williamson County, according to CBS Austin. His arrests since 2011 include assault of family member, two Driving While Intoxicated arrests, criminal mischief, and bond violations, The Daily Mail reported.

Two of the shooting victims died at the scene and a third died on the way to the hospital, police said.

Mark Swanson

Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.

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The Austin Police Department identified Ethan Blaine Nieneker as the suspect in Monday's shootings outside of a Target store in Austin, Texas, that killed three people. Police say Nieneker, 32, opened fire in the Target parking lot...
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Tuesday, 12 August 2025 12:00 PM
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