Crime
3 killed, multiple injured after shooting at Target in Austin
AUSTIN, Texas — Three people were killed and several others injured, including a child, after a gunman opened fire in the parking lot of a Target store in North Austin on Monday afternoon.
The suspect, a 32-year-old white male wearing a Hawaiian-style shirt, is now in police custody.
According to the Austin Police Department (APD), the shooting occurred at approximately 2:15 p.m. in the Target parking lot located on Research Boulevard.
Witnesses reported the suspect firing multiple rounds at shoppers before carjacking a vehicle at the scene. One of the victims is believed to have been the owner of that vehicle.
After fleeing the scene, the suspect crashed the stolen car and proceeded to hijack a second vehicle from a Volkswagen dealership.
He then led officers on a pursuit through Austin, ultimately being located and apprehended on La Costa Drive, approximately 18 miles south of the shooting site.
APD Chief Lisa Davis confirmed the suspect was subdued with a Taser before being taken into custody without further incident.
Chief Davis stated that all three fatalities occurred at the Target parking lot.
In total, four individuals were injured, including a child, and three victims succumbed to their injuries at the scene.
The identities of the deceased have not yet been released.
Authorities say the suspect has a criminal history in Texas and is known to have a mental health history.
A motive for the attack remains under investigation.
The incident prompted extensive road closures in the area, including the 8000 block of the MoPac southbound frontage between Executive Center Drive and Anderson Lane.
While main lanes of MoPac remained open, police urged the public to avoid the area during the active investigation.
Due to the ongoing crime scene, APD advised that vehicles parked at the Target will remain secured until investigators have completed their initial work.
Officials are expected to release further updates as the investigation progresses.
Crime
Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis shot in the leg by an immigration agent in Minneapolis
On January 14, 2025, federal law enforcement personnel were engaged in a targeted enforcement operation involving Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national who has been present in the United States since 2022.
The operation escalated into a high-speed pursuit, a physical confrontation, and an ambush by multiple subjects, necessitating the use of a defensive firearm discharge by a federal agent.
At approximately 6:50 PM, federal officers initiated a targeted traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Sosa-Celis.
The subject refused to comply with law enforcement commands and attempted to flee the scene.
During the pursuit, the subject’s vehicle collided with a stationary, parked car.
Following the collision, the subject abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.
A federal agent pursued the suspect on foot and successfully intercepted him. As the agent attempted to effect an arrest, the subject became combative, resulting in a violent struggle on the ground.
During this confrontation, two additional male subjects emerged from a nearby residence to intervene.
These individuals reportedly ambushed the agent, utilizing a snow shovel and a broom handle to strike the officer.
The situation escalated when the primary suspect, Sosa-Celis, regained his footing and joined the two additional subjects in the assault.
Reports indicate the suspect struck the agent with a blunt object (identified as either the shovel or broom handle).
Citing an immediate threat to his life while being outnumbered and actively assaulted by three individuals, the agent discharged his service weapon in self-defense.
The discharge struck Sosa-Celis in the lower extremity (leg). Following the shot, all three suspects retreated into a nearby apartment complex and initiated a barricade situation.
Following a brief standoff, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) successfully secured the perimeter and apprehended all three individuals without further injury.
Both the federal agent and Sosa-Celis were transported to a local medical facility for treatment.
Images from the scene showed Sosa-Celis conscious and alert during transport.
All three subjects involved in the assault are currently in the custody of ICE.
Further charges related to the assault on a federal officer and resisting arrest are pending review by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.