AUSTIN, Texas — Police have identified the alleged gunman, who they said killed three people at a Texas Target.
Police said that Ethan Nieneker, 32, chose those he shot at random, The Associated Press reported.
UPDATE: The suspect in yesterday’s triple homicide has been identified as Ethan Nieneker, White male, 32 years of age. pic.twitter.com/8fYjGGEuyq
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) August 12, 2025
No motive has been discovered, CNN reported.
The shooting on Monday left a Target employee collecting shopping carts, a grandfather and his 4-year-old granddaughter dead.
Nieneker had a history of past arrests for domestic violence and assault, according to court records. Police also said he had a history of mental health issues, but they were not aware of a specific diagnosis, the AP reported.
His past criminal record included misdemeanor charges for criminal mischief and driving while intoxicated. He had three arrests on felony domestic violence charges.
Nieneker was convicted in 2016 of assault causing bodily injury and had a brief jail sentence.
He faced another felony assault on a family or household member in 2019, but that case was dismissed when prosecutors could not find the alleged victim, the AP reported.
Police said Nieneker got the gun he used from family, but didn’t go into detail.
First, Nieneker shot the Target employee, then shot the grandfather who was sitting in his SUV. He then shot the child who was in the SUV’s backseat before Nieneker took the vehicle and sped away.
The Target employee was identified as 24-year-old Hector Leopoldo Martinez Machuca. He died in a hospital.
Adam Chow, 65, was the grandfather. He and his granddaughter, who was not identified by name, died at the scene.
Chow’s wife had minor injuries, the AP reported. According to KXAN, she took her granddaughter from the SUV and was pushed by Nieneker.
After the shooting, police said Nieneker tried to steal a construction site water truck, caused several car crashes, crashed Chow’s SUV and stole a Volkswagen.
Police Nieneker tried to steal a Waymo self-driving vehicle, threw a brick through an acquaintance’s home window and walked naked through a backyard.
Police found him naked in the street, holding a Bible. They had to use a stun gun when he would not abide by the orders they gave.
“He said that he was Jesus,” Sgt. Nathan Sexton said.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said Nieneker had “serious issues,” CNN reported. She went on to say, “There were some serious failures here ... where you’re looking at potentially some mental illness there.”
“As we move forward and are looking more into this, it will be interesting to kind of peel that back and see where those failures took place,” she said, according to KXAN.
Nieneker is charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of first-degree felony murder, with more charges pending in relation to the vehicle thefts and property damage, CNN reported.
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