In Downtown Austin, Gunman Opens Fire at the Courthouse, Mexican Consulate and Police Headquarters

In Downtown Austin, Gunman Opens Fire at the Courthouse, Mexican Consulate and Police Headquarters

Around 2:30 a.m. Friday morning, an active shooter in downtown Austin was reported to 911 dispatchers. The gunman, whose identity has not yet been disclosed to the public by the police, started opening fire at the courthouse first. He then targeted the Mexican consulate and police headquarters. In total the gunman fired more than 100 rounds, the police said, according The Washington Post.

On Friday morning, Austin police held a news briefing sharing information about the shooting. The police said that the suspect was shot near his own vehicle, parked in front of the police headquarters. He was shot by an officer who encountered the suspect as he was trying to put away the force's horses.

Earlier today authorities were still considering the possibility of a hidden explosive devices in the suspect's vehicles, or his vest. Assistant Police Chief Raul Munguia said that the local bomb squad investigated the gunman's vehicle and his vest. Later on Friday, the authorities concluded that the bomb squad found no evidence of an explosive in either of those locations.

The investigation is still ongoing, and now the police are trying to find out if the gunman's cause of death was the bullets fired by the police while trying to stop him, self inflicted wound, or maybe even the combination of both, according to the Washington Post.

The police said that the suspect was a white male in his 50s with a criminal record. Authorities are still investigating the motive behind his actions. The Police Chief of Austin Art Acevedo, when asked about a possible motive for the shooting, said "the national debate about immigration right now...certainly comes to mind." He said his prediction is based on his own experience and the targets the shooter chose, such as the Mexican consulate.