What we know about a series of attacks that left 2 dead in NE Bexar County, 4 others dead in Austin

A 34-year-old San Antonio man was arrested late Tuesday in Austin after a string of attacks that left six people dead — including two people in Bexar County — and at least three others injured.

Police in Austin said the victims were found dead in pairs in different homes during the daylong attacks. Police have identified him as Shane James.

Travis County Jail records show James was booked after 1:30 a.m. Wednesday and charged with capital murder in addition to several out-of-county misdemeanors.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said James had three warrants in Bexar County for misdemeanor assault causing bodily injury-family. He was bonded out by the Texas Organizing Project in early 2022.

Warrants for James’ re-arrest were issued almost two years ago — but he apparently remained free.

Austin police said they believe James is the sole suspect responsible for all of the deaths there. The relationships between the suspect and victims have not been released, nor the motive.

Salazar confirmed James is accused of killing two people here.

As of Wednesday afternoon, this is what we know so far:

Couple believed to have been killed in Bexar County before Austin attacks

Salazar said at around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, his agency learned about the suspect’s connection with a home on Port Royal in the Mission Hill community near Kirby.

Deputies responded to the home and found water leaking from the house, Salazar said.

Deputies then forced entry into the home and found the bodies of a man and a woman, believed to be in their 50s, in a small bedroom. He didn’t immediately know how they were killed but said the manner was violent.

Neighbors did not report a shooting at the house. Salazar said he also didn’t know what caused the water leak.

Salazar said Wednesday afternoon during a press conference that the victims were James’ parents, identified as Phyllis James and Shane James Sr.

Salazar added they believe the parents were killed before the incidents in Austin, which started before 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

The sheriff said the victims were well-known in the community.

“I’m not quite sure what’s at the root of it, but … nobody deserves to die the way we believed that they died,” Salazar said.

Shane James was previously bonded out of jail by organization

James had three pending cases in Bexar County for misdemeanor assault causing bodily injury-family. Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said Wednesday afternoon that the assaults were related to pushing and scratching.

Salazar said the victims in the assault cases stemming from Jan 6., 2022, were James Jr.’s parents and a sibling. He was arrested and booked, the sheriff said.

The conditions of his bond were altered later on Jan. 27, when they were changed to “no threatening contact” with victims instead of no contact with the victims, according to BCSO. The changes resulted in his bond being lowered from $500 to $100.

James Jr. was released from jail on March 7. Salazar said he cut off his ankle monitor the next day, and arrest warrants were reissued on March 9.

Salazar said it wasn’t a crime to cut off the monitor at the time, but that changed as of this September, when it became a felony after a new state law was enacted.

Deputies were called to the James home in August for a mental health episode. His father met with deputies when they arrived.

Deputies told James Sr. that his son still had three outstanding warrants after James Jr. ran up to a room and locked himself in, Salazar said.

Due to the misdemeanor charges in the warrant, deputies were unable to force their way into the room. But James Sr. was able to force open the door slightly. They saw a bed was in the way, and James Jr. was naked on it.

James Jr. went behind the door, and the deputies attempted to de-escalate the situation to get him to come out, BCSO said.

“He is being insulting to them but not threatening,” Salazar said.

Deputies were unable to talk him out of the room and told James Sr. they would be leaving and come back when his son was out of the room. They instructed the father to call them once he was out.

James Sr. never called BCSO back to take his son into custody, according to Salazar.

Bexar County booking records obtained by KSAT show James was bonded out by Laquita Garcia, who is statewide policy coordinator for the Texas Organizing Project (TOP), an area group that advocates for bail reform.

The group has been criticized for bailing out defendants who cannot afford bond.

TOP officials, including Garcia, have not responded to multiple emails seeking comment Wednesday.

TOP in past years had bonded out as many as 25 to 30 Bexar County Jail inmates per month on bonds totaling $5,000 or less, the source said. That number had dwindled to around two a month before increasing to about five defendants a week in recent weeks.

When questioned about why the suspect was allowed to be released, DA Gonzales said, “My office, nor I, have anything to do with their activities.”

Gonzales said, “The bonds at that moment were appropriate,” because it was a low-risk case, according to the facts in the case.

The DA said his office would be working with the Travis County DA on this case, and Bexar County was already taking steps to make sure James Jr. doesn’t come out of jail.

When asked why James Jr. wasn’t rehabilitated for his mental health issues, Gonzales said, “We hope that people can be rehabilitated, but you have to get to court.”

Salazar added that James Jr. was discharged from the military for a domestic violence issue and that he had not been taking medication for his mental health issues lately.

Suspect ambushed Austin ISD police officer

An Austin ISD police officer was shot and sustained non-life-threatening injuries after an altercation in the parking lot of Northeast Early College High School at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, APD Interim Chief of Police Robin Henderson said in a news release late Tuesday.

Just after 11 a.m., Austin ISD posted on Twitter that the school was “in lockdown due to shots heard in the area. Police are responding. Please do not come to campus.”

Around 11:45 a.m., the school district posted an update that the campus was “safe” but still in lockdown. They wrote that an Austin ISD police officer “sustained injuries during an altercation in the parking lot.”

The Austin American-Statesman reported that the officer told investigators that he was ambushed by an assailant, according to scanner traffic.

No students or staff were reported to be injured.

The school is in northeast Austin, off Highway 290 — just east of Interstate 35 and south of Highway 183.

Two found dead in Austin home, cyclist shot

Austin police said at about noon, a man and a woman were found dead in a home in the 7300 block of Shadywood Drive.

“Austin 911 communications received multiple calls for help,” Henderson said.

Austin police identified the two victims as Emmanuel Pop Ba, 32, and Sabrina Rahman, 24. Pop Ba died at the scene, and Rahman was transported to a local hospital, where she later died.

Rahman’s uncle told the Austin American-Statesman that his niece had just moved into her new home with her husband and 1-year-old child the day before. Pop Ba was a handyman who was helping the family move into their home.

Just before 5 p.m., Austin police received a call about a male bicyclist shot in the 5700 block of West Slaughter Lane, less than seven miles away from the home on Shadywood Lane.

The cyclist sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Second pair killed in Austin

Just before 7 p.m., Austin police responded to a call of a burglary in progress at a home in the 5300 block of Austral Loop, less than two miles away from the shooting on Slaughter Lane.

There, they found two people dead. Henderson did not say how they died. Their genders, names and ages were not released.

Henderson said they didn’t believe the attacks were connected until the last incident occurred and after the suspect was taken into custody.

Suspect shot officer during pursuit, later crashed

As an Austin police officer responded to the last call at the home on Austral Loop, the officer saw a male suspect in the backyard.

The man “immediately opened fire” at the officer, striking the officer multiple times, Henderson said. The officer returned fire before the suspect drove off.

The officer was taken to the hospital and was listed in stable condition.

The suspect, who was not hit, was pursued by police. He ended up crashing at around 7:15 p.m. at the intersection of South Highway 45 and FM 1826. He was taken into custody.

Henderson said he had a gun on him.

Suspect charged with capital murder

The suspect was taken to the Travis County Jail and charged with capital murder in addition to several out-of-county misdemeanors.

Additional charges are pending, Henderson said.

“We strongly believe one suspect is responsible for all of the incidents,” Henderson said late Tuesday. “The suspect is in custody and no longer poses a threat to our Austin community.”

His relationship with the victims, if any, is unknown at this time.

Abbott, Biden release statements on shootings

As the story developed on Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released the following statement:

“Texans grieve for the loved ones of the six Texans who were murdered by a hardened criminal who must never see the light of day again. The murderer also shot two law enforcement officers in the line of duty. Texas is a law-and-order state, and violence will never be tolerated. We thank all state and local law enforcement and first responders who apprehended this criminal and protected their communities. The State of Texas will provide all resources necessary to impose the full weight of law on this criminal for his despicable crimes. Cecilia and I ask our fellow Texans to join us in lifting up in prayer the families and loved ones of those who were killed, as well as the Texans who are recovering from injuries, including an Austin Police Officer and an Austin Independent School District police officer.”

President Joe Biden issued the following statement:

“Yesterday, in Austin and San Antonio, at least six people were killed and several more injured by a gunman—leaving families devastated, and communities forever changed. And just hours ago, the University of Nevada at Las Vegas became the latest college campus to be terrorized by a horrific act of gun violence, and the community is still awaiting information on casualties.

“Jill and I join citizens across our nation in praying for the families of our fallen, and for those who were injured during these latest acts of senseless violence. We are also grateful for the courageous work of law enforcement—who risked their own safety to bring an end to these deadly shooting sprees. Federal law enforcement officials are on the ground working with State and local law enforcement in both states and I have directed that all necessary support be provided to assist in the investigations and support these communities.

“This year alone, our nation has experienced more than 600 mass shootings, and approximately 40,000 deaths due to gun violence. This is not normal, and we can never let it become normal.

“For all the action we have taken since I’ve been President, the epidemic of gun violence we face demands that we do even more. But we cannot do more without Congress. Republican lawmakers must join with Democrats in Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, pass a national red flag law, enact universal background checks, require the safe storage of guns, and advance other commonsense measures that will help stem the tide of gun violence. And together, we must do more to prevent more families, and more communities like Austin, San Antonio, and Las Vegas, from being ripped apart by gun violence.”

Tips sought by BCSO

Sheriff Salazar is asking anyone in the public who may have video of the vehicle James Jr. was in — a dark gray Nissan Versa — to contact BCSO at 210-335-6000.