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Austin Man Charged in Target Parking Lot Shooting as Investigation Widens

Determining his motive is matched by the need to trace whether a family member supplied the semi-automatic rifle

Ethan Nieneker, 32, is charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of murder over Monday’s shooting in Austin.
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Overview

  • Nieneker faces two counts of capital murder and one count of first-degree murder for the Monday attack that killed three people, including a 4-year-old girl
  • During his chaotic escape he allegedly carjacked multiple vehicles, caused crashes, assaulted at least one person and was arrested naked holding a Bible after officers used a Taser
  • Victims were Target employee Hector Leopoldo Martinez Machuca, who died after hospital transport, and shoppers Adam Chow and his 4-year-old granddaughter, both pronounced dead at the scene
  • Court and jail records show a decade-long criminal history across Travis and Williamson counties, including convictions for domestic violence and driving while intoxicated, as well as documented emergency mental-health holds
  • Police have not identified a motive and are probing how he acquired the semi-automatic rifle and whether any accomplices provided the weapon