An editor has nominated this article for deletion. You are welcome to participate in the deletion discussion , which will decide whether or not to retain it. |
| 2025 Austin Target shooting | |
|---|---|
| Location | Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Date | August 11, 2025 |
| Target | Random |
Attack type | Shooting |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Injured | 1 (non-gunshot injury) |
| Accused | Ethan Blaine Nieneker |
On August 11, 2025, 32-year-old Ethan Blaine Nieneker is accused of opening fire in the parking lot of a Target store in Austin, Texas, United States. Three people, including a four-year-old girl, were killed, and a woman was injured when the suspect carjacked one of the victims.
On the afternoon of August 11, 2025, in the parking lot of a Target store in Austin, Texas, Ethan Blaine Nieneker is accused of shooting and killing three people before carjacking one of the victims and fleeing. Nieneker crashed the hijacked vehicle and then hijacked another car in order to escape, but the victim escaped uninjured. A police chase ensued and eventually, on the south side of Austin, about 20 miles (32 kilometres) away from the crime scene, the suspect was arrested after the police successfully subdued the man with a taser, and took him into custody. [1] [2] [3]
24-year-old Rosa Martinez Machuca, a Target employee, was killed while collecting shopping carts. [4] 65-year-old Adam Chow was killed along with his 4-year-old granddaughter Astrid Fung when they were shot in their vehicle. Chow's wife, who was with them in the vehicle, survived the attack with minor injuries after grabbing her granddaughter from the vehicle after Fung had been shot after she was pushed to the ground by Nieneker. [5]
The suspect, identified as 32-year-old Ethan Blaine Nieneker (born May 3, 1993) of Cedar Park, Texas, was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of first-degree felony murder, and additional charges were pending over the assaults and carjackings Nieneker committed during his escape. At the time of his arrest, Nieneker was found naked and holding a Bible. [6] [7] On August 21, 2025, Nieneker was further charged with five counts: one each of attempted murder, robbery and aggravated robbery, and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. [8]
Nieneker lived in the Austin area throughout his entire life, and had an extensive criminal history, a history of mental health issues, and a history of frequent run-ins with law enforcement dating back to his first arrest in January 2012, when Round Rock police first arrested Nieneker at age 18 for possession of marijuana. He was convicted and sentenced to two days in jail, according to Williamson County’s online records. [9] The Texas Department of Public Safety records also revealed that Nieneker was previously arrested in August 2015 by the Austin Police Department for DUI, October 2015 by Cedar Park Police for criminal mischief, May 2016 by Travis County Sheriff’s Office for assault after choking his then-girlfriend, and August 2016 for violating a protective order. Three years later in December 2019, Nieneker was arrested again after punching a male roommate in the face during an argument. Police found Nieneker in a shared apartment smelling like alcohol and slurring his words. The case was dismissed in 2022 after prosecutors were unable to locate the victim, according to dismissal paperwork. [10] Austin Police replied that Nieneker also had two reports for an emotionally disturbed person in 2018, raising questions about breakdowns in the system to protect himself and others. The chief also acknowledged Nieneker’s history should have raised red flags. [11]
Based on first-hand police investigations, Nieneker was found to have randomly selecting his victims in the attack, and purportedly acquired the murder weapon, a handgun, through his family, and he also claimed "he was Jesus", although the motive was not conclusively identified. Prior to the shooting, Nieneker had a history of mental illnesses, although it was not specified what condition he was diagnosed with in the past. Nieneker also had previous run-ins with the law for various offences, including driving under the influence, assault causing bodily injury to a family member, violation of a protective order and marijuana possession. [12] [13]
In response to the shooting, a spokesperson for Target released a statement, offering their condolences to the victims and stated that they were devastated by the tragedy that occurred in Austin. [14] Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis described the case as a "sad day" for the residents of Austin and everyone at large. In a social media post, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson condemned the shooting as an "cowardly act of gun violence." [15]
A couple of days after the shooting, family, friends and community members gathered together to raise donations for the family of Adam Chow and Astrid Fung, and as of August 13, 2025, the amounted exceeded $60,000. [16]