Police officers in downtown Austin have shot dead a gunman after he targeted several government buildings in the wee hours of Friday morning.
According to KXAN , the situation reportedly began at around 2:20 a.m. Local police stations received calls saying that people had heard several shots being fired at several buildings. The buildings that were targeted by the gunman included the headquarters of the Austin Police Department, the Mexican consulate, and the federal courthouse. According the the report, nearly 100 rounds were fired in total until the suspect was contained by an officer nearly an hour later, at 3:31 a.m.
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
According to police officials, the gunman was identified as a 50-year-old individual with a criminal history. He was outside the police headquarters with his gun and was wearing a vest, which led the police officers to believe that he could be carrying an improvised explosive device (IED) in a vehicle. At this time, there is conflicting information on how the gunman died. It is unclear if he was shot dead by police officers or whether he turned the gun on himself. It is also being reported that the gunman tried to set the Mexican consulate building on fire using propane containers.
Meanwhile, police have also called in the bomb squad to investigate the scene of the incident. They are also checking the vehicle used by the gunman to check for explosives. Authorities are also checking the residence of the gunman to see if there are any explosives hidden there as well.
Due to the time at which the incident happened, there were no reports of any injury. Owing to the ongoing investigation a part of the Interstate 35 was closed — and was subsequently re-opened. However, several roads near the incident remain closed and will be until further notice, reports CNN .
More on this as we get further updates.
[Image Via KXAN]
