Thread: Police kill man after political attack in Texas capital

Police kill man after suspected political attack in Texas capital

BY JIM FORSYTH AND JON HERSKOVITZ
AUSTIN, Texas Fri Nov 28, 2014 11:32am EST

(Reuters) - Police in Austin shot and killed a man who opened fire on a U.S. federal courthouse, Mexican consulate and police headquarters in the Texas capital on Friday in an attack that appears to be politically motivated.

The suspect, who has not been identified, was an Austin man in his 50s who had a criminal history. The targets indicated the attack may have been over U.S. immigration policies, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said.

"When you look at the national debate right now about immigration, that ... comes to mind. Sometimes our political discourse becomes very heated and sometimes very angry," Acevedo told reporters.

No police or other civilians were injured in the incident where the bomb squad was dispatched to investigate possible explosive devices linked to the suspect.

A mounted officer bringing horses into a stable fired at the suspect near police headquarters and may have delivered the fatal shot, Acevedo added.

"The sergeant was right there getting ready to put the horses away for the night. As he held two horses with one hand, he discharged at least one round with a single-handed shot," Acevedo said.

Police received a call at 2:22 a.m. about shots being fired in the downtown area. In a shooting spree that lasted a few minutes and involved what police said were "many, many rounds," the three buildings were hit and the suspect tried to set fire to the Mexican consulate.

Once the suspect was shot, officer noticed what appeared to be an improvised explosive device inside the vehicle he was using, and possibly another one in a vest he was wearing.

Police declared a "critical incident" and closed a major highway and blocked traffic through the downtown area. All roadways were later reopened.

Officers were examining the man's home in north Austin.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0JC1BW20141128

Slain Austin shooter likely had anti-government motive

One man is dead after police in Austin, Texas say he opened fire on buildings in downtown. After officers shot the suspect, they noticed what they are treating as explosives on the suspect and in a nearby car. VPC

Amber Downing and Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY11:57 a.m. EST November 28, 2014


(Photo: Jim Vertuno, AP)

AUSTIN, Texas — A white, middle-aged gunman, in what appears to be a politically motivated anti-government attack linked to immigration, fired more than a hundred rounds at buildings in downtown Austin early Friday and tried to set fire to the Mexican consulate before he died of a gunshot wound.

The unidentified suspect was described as white male in his 50s with a criminal record.

Police were investigating whether the gunman was killed by a police officer who fired at him in front of police headquarters or died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A police sergeant putting away police horses for the night shot the suspect with one hand while holding two horses by the reins in the other, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo told reporters.

After the shooting, police discovered suspicious cylinders in the man's white van parked in front of the police headquarters. Officers also feared that the man's bulky vest might contain explosives and retreated after dragging the wounded suspect across the street.

A bomb squad, using a robot, found no explosives, Acevedo said. The man's Austin home was also searched, police said, KVUE-TV reports.

The police chief said the suspect not only shot up several buildings in downtown Austin, he tried to set the Mexican consulate on fire using several small propane cylinders. The fires were put out before the flames could spread, he said.

The police chief said the suspect's targets indicated that he might have had anti-government motives linked to immigration.

"If you look at the targets, it doesn't take a genius (to suggest) that that is the potential," Acevedo said.

"I would venture that political rhetoric might have fed into some of this, but that is speculation on my part," he added.

The gunfire broke out at around 2:20 a.m. local time, police said. The police chief said the city was particularly fortunate that no one was injured, given the normal activiites in downtown Austin on a Friday night.

At the height of the incident, police closed the Interstate highway through downtown Austin.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...ings/19607141/

UPDATE: Suspect Dead After Armed Attack On Austin Police Headquarters

AUSTIN (November 28, 2014) Austin police are reporting a man who went on a shooting rampage in downtown Austin early Friday morning that included an assault at police headquarters is now dead in a hail of gunfire.

Police also have sent a SWAT team to a home in the 1100 block of Hollow Creek Drive in South Austin where they believe the gunman lived.

Initial reports indicated the SWAT team officers were looking for explosive devices or materials that could have been used to make bombs.

Interstate 35 near downtown was closed as part of the investigation but police said at about 6:30 a.m. the highway had re-opened.

The melee began at about 2:30 a.m. when 911 callers reported a man firing shots at the U.S. Federal courthouse, the Mexican Consulate building and the police station.

Austin police say the incident ended sometime around 5:30 a.m. when an officer confronted the man outside police headquarters and shot him to death.

Police also said they found a suspicious vest on the dead man which they believe might be a bomb.

Police also said they found what they believe is an explosive device in the gunman’s vehicle.

Several areas in downtown and on the east side of Interstate 35 are closed while the investigation continues.

The gunman has not been identified.

It is believed that no one else was hit by gunfire, police say.

Austin police headquarters has been evacuated.

Police are urging residents to stay away from downtown until the situation is better in hand.

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/284134041.html

BREAKING NEWS

'Over 100 rounds' fired



Austin police HQ and Mexican Consulate targeted

An officer who confronted a gunman in Texas' capital used one hand to fire at the suspect while using the other to hold on to horses, the Austin police chief said, adding that angry political rhetoric may have fed into the attack.FULL STORY

Full Article from the link. view video at link.
Newmexican

Man who shot at consulate, federal courthouse, Austin police HQ killed



By Greg Botelho, CNN
updated 4:08 PM EST, Fri November 28, 2014

(CNN) -- A man shot up a federal courthouse and a Mexican consulate -- which he also seemingly tried to set ablaze -- in Austin, Texas, early Friday before being shot dead outside police headquarters, that city's police chief said.

The shooter fired "over 100 rounds" in a roughly 10-minute span, but he did not hit anyone even though the bullets ricocheted at a typically busy time in downtown Austin, when streets fill with people after bars close for the night.

"This Thanksgiving ... weekend, I give thanks that no one but the suspect is injured or deceased," police Chief Art Acevedo said. "That's something that we should all take a lot of comfort in."

The shooter was identified in a tweet from Austin police as 49-year-old Larry McQuilliam

Chief: Austin gunman was a 'lone wolf'
Acevedo said he was an Austin resident who had a criminal history.

Authorities have not offered a motive, but the police chief said that the shooter's "violent anti-government behavior" -- as evidenced by attacking buildings that belong to Mexico's government, the U.S. government and, in the police headquarters, the city government -- may have come from ongoing and often vitriolic debates in society.

"Our political discourse has become very heated and sometimes very angry, and sometimes the rhetoric is not healthy," Acevedo said, adding that the divisive immigration debate "comes to mind," given that the federal courthouse and Mexican Consulate were targeted. "I would venture, based on my training and experience, that the political rhetoric might have fed into some of this."

The first 911 calls about gunshots came in at 2:22 a.m. Friday, with some reporting a "possible automatic weapon being fired" a few minutes later.

There was an active shooter targeting multiple downtown buildings, including APD Headquarters. This resulted in an Ofc. Involved Shooting.
— Austin Police Dept. (@Austin_Police) November 28, 2014

Very soon after that, police started to hear about gunfire near a recently opened federal courthouse and then at the city's nearby Mexican Consulate.

Acevedo later said the suspect -- using small cylinders often used for camping -- is thought to have ignited a fire at the consulate, though those flames were extinguished before any extensive damage was done.

The police headquarters "came under attack" about 2:32 a.m., Acevedo said, at which time a sergeant with the department's mounted police unit happened to be outside, putting away horses.

"As he held two horses with one hand, he discharged ... at least one round with a single-handed shot," the chief said. "That would have been one heck of a shot. So part of our investigation will be whether the suspect died from our gunshot, from a self-inflicted gunshot or from a combination of both."

After the gunman went down, officers spotted "suspicious cylinders" inside his van. And when they dragged the gunman away, officers noticed "some type of vest on the suspect" -- something that Acevedo said could have been "simply a protective vest or potentially an IED suicide-type vest that is known to be used around the world."

Authorities immediately called in the bomb squad and closed off the surrounding area, including for a time stopping all traffic on a stretch of Interstate 35.

A few hours later, they determined there were no explosives at the site. The suspect's residence "has been secured and is safe," according to Acevedo's twitter account.

Acevedo said that investigators, including FBI agents, "will be looking at everything," even social media accounts, to try to determine what the gunman was thinking.

The chief also said that he hopes the incident -- coming at a time of much-publicized, deep-seated anger at police after a Missouri grand jury's decision not to charge a Ferguson police officer in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown -- prompts people to think about the dangers that police face, and overcome, every day to keep residents safe.

"We are under siege at times," Acevedo said. "And it's important for people to realize that the men and women in this profession are (the public's defense) when it comes to ... any type of threat, from terrorists or the common criminal."

CNN's Tina Burnside and Joshua Berlinger contributed to this report.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/28/us/tex...html?hpt=hp_t1

Man who shot Mexican Consulate, federal courthouse, Austin police HQ killed

By Greg Botelho, CNN
updated 12:36 PM EST, Fri November 28, 2014
Source: CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: The suspected shooter targeted a bank branch, police chief says
• The gunman was an Austin resident about 50 years old who had a criminal history
• A police sergeant shot at the gunman while holding two horses, police chief says
• The chief speculates that angry, unhealthy political rhetoric may have fed into the attack

(CNN) -- A man shot up a federal courthouse and a Mexican consulate -- which he also seemingly tried to set ablaze -- early Friday before being shot dead outside the Austin, Texas, police headquarters, that city's police chief said.

The shooter fired "over 100 rounds" in a roughly 10-minute span, but he did not hit anyone even though the bullets ricocheted at a typically busy time in downtown Austin, when streets fill up with people after bars close for the night.

"This Thanksgiving ... weekend, I give thanks that no one but the suspect is injured or deceased," police Chief Art Acevedo said. "That's something that we should all take a lot of comfort in."

Acevedo didn't name the shooter but described him as a male Austin resident about 50 years old who had a criminal history.

Authorities have not offered a motive, but the police chief said that the shooter's "violent anti-government behavior" -- as evidenced by attacking buildings that belong to Mexico's government, the U.S. government and, in the police headquarters, the city government -- may have come from ongoing and often vitriolic debates in society.

"Our political discourse has become very heated and sometimes very angry, and sometimes the rhetoric is not healthy," Acevedo said, adding that the divisive immigration debate "comes to mind," given that the federal courthouse and Mexican Consulate were targeted. "... I would venture, based on my training and experience, that the political rhetoric might have fed into some of this."

The first 911 calls about gunshots came in at 2:22 a.m. (3:22 a.m. ET) Friday, with some reporting a "possible automatic weapon being fired" a few minutes later.

Very soon after that, police started to hear about gunfire near a recently opened federal courthouse and then at the city's nearby Mexican Consulate.

Acevedo later said the shooting suspect -- using small cylinders often used for camping -- is thought to have ignited a fire at the consulate, though those flames were extinguished before any extensive fire damage. Authorities also found that the gunman "targeted" a BB&T bank branch, though the chief said it wasn't clear when this happened in the attack.

The police headquarters "came under attack" around 2:32 a.m., Acevedo said, at which time a sergeant with the department's mounted police unit happened to be outside putting away the horses.

"As he held two horses with one hand, he discharged ... at least one round with a single-handed shot," the chief said. "That would have been one heck of a shot. So part of our investigation will be whether the suspect died from our gunshot, from a self-inflicted gunshot or from a combination of both."

After the gunman went down, officers spotted "suspicious cylinders" inside his van. And when they dragged the gunman away, officers noticed "some type of vest on the suspect" -- something that Acevedo said could have been "simply a protective vest or potentially an IED suicide-type vest that is known to be used around the world."

Authorities immediately called in the bomb squad and closed off the surrounding area, including for a time stopping all traffic on a stretch of Interstate 35.

A few hours later, they determined there were no explosives at the site, though they were still checking inside the shooter's residence.

Acevedo said that investigators, including FBI agents, "will be looking at everything" -- even social media accounts -- to try to determine what the gunman was thinking.

The chief also said that he hopes this incident -- coming at a time of much publicized, deep-seated anger at police after a Missouri grand jury's decision not to charge a Ferguson police officer in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown -- prompts people to think about the dangers that police face, and overcome, every day to keep citizens safe.

"We are under siege at times," Acevedo said. "And it's important for people to realize that the men and women in this profession are (the public's defense) when it comes to ... any type of threat, from terrorists or the common criminal."

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/284134041.html

Slain Austin shooter likely had anti-government motive

USA TODAY

- ‎1 hour ago‎

AUSTIN, Texas — A white, middle-aged gunman, in what appears to be a politically motivated anti-government attack linked to immigration, fired more than a hundred rounds at buildings in downtown Austin early Friday and tried to set fire to the Mexican ...

US police kill gunman who opened fire on Mexican consulate

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Gunman Killed After Firing At Buildings In Busy Downtown Austin

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Gunman fired over 100 rounds

Times of Malta

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NBCNews.com

- ‎49 minutes ago‎

A veteran Austin police officer putting away horses for the night was able to stop a gunman rampaging through the city's downtown early Friday — ending the suspect's 10 minutes of terror before anyone was hurt, authorities said. But police are trying to ...

Gunman who shot at Austin police building killed

Austin American-Statesman

- ‎1 hour ago‎

9:55 a.m. update: A man suspected of shooting attacks on at least three buildings in downtown Austin was killed early Friday morning outside of Austin police headquarters, one the buildings he targeted. Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said it was unclear ...

Austin Shooting Suspect Dead After Firing On Downtown Buildings

Huffington Post

- ‎1 hour ago‎

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A gunman attempted to set the Mexican Consulate ablaze and fired more than 100 rounds at downtown buildings early Friday before he died, Austin authorities said. Investigators were trying to determine the man's motives after he ...

Police: Slain gunman fired more than 100 rounds in downtown Austin

Washington Post

- ‎2 hours ago‎

A gunman in Austin opened fire Friday on “multiple downtown buildings” — including a federal courthouse, the Mexican consulate and Austin Police Department headquarters — before dying of a gunshot wound, according to officials in the Texas capital.

Austin Police Kill Suspect After Shots Fired at 'Multiple Buildings'

NBCNews.com

- ‎7 hours ago‎

A gunman was fatally shot by police after opening fire at "multiple buildings" in downtown Austin, officials in the Texas capital said early Friday. The city's police headquarters was among the buildings targeted. NBC station KXAN reported that a bomb-disposal ...


Buildings targeted in downtown Austin

Los Angeles Times

- ‎22 minutes ago‎

A male shooter targeting several buildings in downtown Austin, Texas, on Friday morning died after being shot at by police outside the department's headquarters. Authorities said they are concerned he may have had an explosive device. Full coverage: ...

Suspected Austin gunman dies after shooting at least 100 rounds at buildings

Los Angeles Times

- ‎1 hour ago‎

A gunman unleashed at least 100 rounds on several government buildings in downtown Austin, Texas, on Friday morning and died after police shot at him outside the department's headquarters. Police said an officer shot at the suspect, but said it was ...

Gunman Dead in Downtown Austin

Wall Street Journal

- ‎4 hours ago‎

Police tape marks off the scene after a man opened fire on several buildings in downtown Austin, Texas. Jim Vertuno/Associated Press. By. Miguel Bustillo. Miguel Bustillo. The Wall Street Journal. CANCEL. BiographyMiguel Bustillo · Miguel.Bustillo@wsj.com ...

Suspected Gunman Dead After Officer-Involved Shooting in Austin, Texas

ABC News

- ‎6 hours ago‎

A suspected gunman is dead after an officer-involved shooting in Austin, Texas, this morning, with the man alleged to have opened fire at city buildings, the Austin Police Department said. Police worked to secure the scene after the man's death.

See all 426 articles »

http://www.alipac.us/f9/u-s-gunman-a...-texas-315284/

Officials identify gunman as Larry Steve McQuilliams

Austin American-Statesman

- ‎21 minutes ago‎

1:45 p.m. update: Law enforcement sources have identified the suspect in the downtown Austin shootings Friday morning as 49-year-old Larry Steve McQuilliams of Austin. The sources requested anonymity because of the ongoing nature of the investigation...

Please post the article instead of links.

This is the above referenced article.
NM

Officials identify gunman as Larry Steve McQuilliams

Updated: 12:00 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28, 2014 | Filed in: Crime & Law
5:30 p.m. update: Police have deemed the apartment where Larry Steven McQwilliams lived as safe, and residents were allowed to return about 5 p.m.

The front door and window to McQuilliams’ apartment has been boarded up.
1:45 p.m. update: Law enforcement sources have identified the suspect in the downtown Austin shootings Friday morning as 49-year-old Larry Steven McQuilliams of Austin. The sources requested anonymity because of the ongoing nature of the investigation.
Downtown Austin shootings, 11.28.14

Austin police, meanwhile, said that the suspect’s home has been secured and is safe.
11:50 a.m. update: Despite signs of damage, the BB&T bank at 601 W. 5th Street near the U.S. Federal Courthouse is not one of the several buildings targeted during the early Friday morning shooting attacks in downtown Austin, police said.
Several law enforcement agencies have been at the U.S. Federal Courthouse at Fifth and Nueces Streets investigating after reports of gunfire about 2:22 a.m. Police had said Friday that the suspected gunman was also responsible of the incident at the BB&T bank, which is less than a block away from the courthouse.

Downtown Austin shootings, 11.28.14
9:55 a.m. update: A man suspected of shooting attacks on at least three buildings in downtown Austin was killed early Friday morning outside of Austin police headquarters, one the buildings he targeted.
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said it was unclear whether the gunman, a white man in his 50s who is a resident of Austin, died by his own hand or by an officer who fired at the man.
Police responded to the first reports of shots being fired downtown at 2:22 a.m. Friday, Acevedo said. By 2:30, police heard more reports of gunfire—possibly from automatic weapons – at the U.S. Federal Courthouse at Fifth and Nueces streets and the Mexican consulate at 410 Baylor Street, he said.
The scene from Hollow Creek Drive, where police are investigating an apartment complex that is believed to be the home of a man involved in downtown shootings early Friday morning. Photo by Lilly Rockwell/AMERICAN-STATESMAN

At 2:32 a.m., a man was seen firing a “fusillade” at Austin police headquarters, Acevedo said.
Sgt. Adam Johnson was corralling the horses from the mounted patrols for the night when he heard shots being fired and the ricochet of bullets.
Johnson, a 15-year APD veteran, saw the gunman near a white SUV and returned fire. At 2:33 a.m., “the suspect went down,” Acevedo said.
The scene near Austin Police Department headquarters in downtown Austin. Photo by Nicole Chavez/AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services were called in to treat the suspect, he said.
But as patrol officers dragged the man away from the vehicle, they noticed a series of cylinders in the vehicle positioned outside police headquarters and suspected the items were explosive devices.
After officers also noticed a vest on the suspect, they became suspicious that it was either a suicide vest or a protective vest, Acevedo said.
Damage at an ATM a block away from the federal courthouse in downtown Austin. Photo by Nicole Chavez/AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Police dispatched the bomb squad to investigate the man and the vehicle. At 2:41 a.m., Acevedo said, police evacuated police headquaters and shut down traffic on I-35.
The freeway has since been reopened and the bomb squad has finished securing the vehicle and the suspect.
A YouTube video uploaded by a person named Chris Ashby appeared online Friday morning.
FBI and U.S. Marshals are investigating the scene after gunman targeted the federal courthouse in Austin.

You can view it here:
8:40 a.m. update: Austin police have dispatched SWAT units to the 1100 block of Hollow Creek Drive in South Austin, the home of a man who was killed by police after shooting at least three government buildings in downtown Austin early Friday morning.
6:40 a.m. update: Interstate 35 has been reopened in both directions.
Sgt. Adam Johnson, in 2007 file photo

6:25 a.m. update: A gunman targeted at least three buildings in downtown Austin — the Mexican consulate, the U.S. Federal Courthouse and Austin police headquarters — early Friday morning before being shot and killed by Austin police, authorities said.
Assistant Chief Raul Munguia told reporters that the suspected shooter was killed near his vehicle. The suspect was found wearing a vest of some type, Munguia said, and that the suspect’s vehicle may contain an improvised explosive device. The police bomb squad has been dispatched to secure the vest and the white SUV the suspect was using.
Munguia said police are also searching the suspect’s Austin residence to make sure there are no explosives there.
The identity of the suspect has not been released.
Interstate 35 remains closed in both directions south of 15th Street and north of Riverside Drive as police continue to investigate the shootings.
6 a.m. update: Capital Metro services will be delayed and bus routes will be detoured because of the ongoing police investigation into an officer-involved shooting early Friday morning.
An area bounded by 12th Street to the north, Cesar Chavez Street to the south, Interstate 35 to the east and Congress Avenue to the west will be affected.
5:55 a.m. update: The Austin police bomb squad is investigating a white SUV parked near police headquarters at 8th and Red River.
5:30 a.m. update: Police said a man suspected of shooting at multiple buildings in downtown Austin, including the Austin Police Department headquarters, shortly after 2 a.m. Friday is dead.
A heavy police presence is securing the area around APD headquarters at 8th Street and Interstate 35. Officers urge the public to stay away from the area.
But police say there is no longer any threat to the public.
Earlier: Interstate 35 is closed near downtown as the Austin Police Department investigates an officer-involved shooting, police said.
Police said an active shooter was targeting multiple buildings early Friday.
Interstate 35 is closed northbound at Cesar Chavez Street, and the soutbound lanes are closed at 15th Street, police said.
A suspect has been shot, and no officers were injured, police said.
The Austin Police Department has been evacuated, police said.
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/c...ve-shoo/njHG8/