According to CNN, four people were reportedly shot near the 400 block of East 6th street in Austin, Texas at 1:59pm on Sunday, March 20. Officers from the Austin Police Department and emergency medical services responded to the shots. Four victims were located and transported to a local hospital for “minor injuries.”
The 4 victims involved were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. We will release more information as it becomes available. (4/4)
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) March 20, 2022
Witness canvassing revealed that the altercation began as a “disturbance between two groups of people” APD stated in tweets from the verified account. They also explained that it “was not a random act” and that “there’s no danger to the public.” An individual has been taken into custody but their name has yet to be released due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.
UPDATE: Suspect in custody.
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) March 20, 2022
The incident took place near the location of the South by Southwest festival which is an event that spans two weeks exclusively in the Austin area. This year’s event schedule began on Friday, March 11 and ends today (March 20) with the last few acts. The first round of lineups included Kristin Hersch, Ringo Deathstarr and Delta Spirit. The next few rounds featured Sunflower Bean, Deap Valley, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Peelander-Z, Shonen Knife, Kosha Dillz, Advertisement, Le Ren, SPEAK, Midlake, The Bright Light Social Hour, BALTHVS, Suzanne Vega, Sudan Archives, Mojo Nixon and more.
The 2022 festival marked the first time SXSW was hosted in-person following the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat