MORE than a dozen people were injured in a shooting at a bar area in Austin, Texas on June 12, 2021.
Police are still on the hunt for the suspect responsible for the mass shooting.
What happened in the Austin shooting?
Gunfire erupted at about 1.30am on Sixth Street in Austin on June 12, creating chaos in the popular bar scene.
Sixth Street is a popular downtown bar scene that regularly sees heavy foot traffic – potentially tens of thousands of people on a given night.
At the time of the shooting, the street had been barricaded to keep car traffic out of the area in order to facilitate the many pedestrians.
It is unclear how many shots were fired, although social media posts suggested it may have been 16 shots. Authorities say the shooter appears to have shot randomly.
Interim Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon said his officers responded "very quickly" to the incident at the 400 block of East Sixth Street.
"They were able to immediately begin life-saving measures for many of these patients, including applications of tourniquets; applications of chest seals and other types of first aid equipment," Chacon said.
How many people were injured?
13 people were injured in the incident.
All 13 people injured were transferred to area hospitals, where two are in critical condition.
Since the area was heavily crowded, Chacon said officers transported some patients to hospitals in police cruisers because it was difficult to get the injured into ambulances.
Bystander Taylor Blount, 26, told the Austin American-Statesman that he locked himself in a bar as the "intense" shooting unfolded.
"I only heard them from a single weapon and then everyone started running in different directions," Blount said. "People were freaking out a lot, and there were some people crying, but most people were just freaking out.
Blount said he watched as police dragged a man who had been shot in the ribs to safety and treated his wounds.
Who was responsible for the shooting?
The shooter is still at large and has not been identified.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear as police continue to search for a suspect, who may still be a threat to the public.
Has anyone been arrested?
Interim Austin Police Chief Chacon said the only description of a suspect is a black male with a skinny build, dreadlocks, and a black shirt.
Chacon added that the description is vague "based on the chaotic nature of the incident."
Detectives are working to sift through videos from bystanders and surveillance cameras to identify suspects.
Chacon said the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has been notified, adding that there has been a recent increase in gun violence.
"But what we have seen in recent months and over the last year or so is an increase in gun violence," Chacon said, "and so this is just emblematic of that, it continues, and it's something we're trying to work to decrease."
Police are asking anyone with information on the shooter to contact local authorities at 512-472-8477.
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