Inset: Ethan Nieneker (Austin Police Department). Background: The Target where Nieneker allegedly killed three people in Austin, Tex. (Google Maps).
A Texas man is behind bars after killing three people at a Target in a random fusillade of gunfire, Lone Star State police say.
Ethan Nieneker, 32, stands accused of one count each of murder in the first degree, capital murder by terror threat, and capital murder of a person under 10 years of age, Travis County court records show.
The shooting took the life of Rosa Machuca, 24, Adam Chow, 65, and Chow”s 4-year-old granddaughter, all of whom were pronounced dead at the scene of the crime, according to the Austin Police Department. Chow’s wife sustained minor injuries.
Law enforcement says the defendant would later confess through a series of shocking utterances about himself and the violence.
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“I have a confession to make,” Nieneker allegedly told police, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Austin-based Fox affiliate KTBC and NBC affiliate KXAN. “I killed a man and a baby girl today. In Target. In the Target parking lot. I shot them both, because I’m Jesus.”
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the defendant has a history of mental health issues, according to Austin-based ABC affiliate KVUE.
Davis acknowledged Nieneker’s long history of domestic violence-related allegations – at least four dating back to 2015 in various Hill Country counties – should have raised alarm bells.
“This man had some serious issues,” the police chief said at a Tuesday press conference, according to local NPR affiliate KUT. “There were some serious failures here on behalf of, you know, many, when you’re looking at potentially some mental illness there.”
The defendant, for his part, said he did not have a mental health diagnosis, had not used drugs in the past week, and had not drunk alcohol in the past year, according to law enforcement. But he allegedly continued to reason why the violence occurred.
“I realized I was Jesus, and I had to grab my gun and shoot a couple of people to save us all,” Nieneker went on, according to the affidavit. “I killed these people out of love, not out of hate…I realized that I had to kill a couple of people to set everyone free, so I did it. It was just random, I guess. It was like I was just trying to get anyone I could.”
The incident occurred at around 2:15 p.m. on Monday at the Target on Research Boulevard in the northern area of the capital city.
Following the carnage, Nieneker was arrested roughly an hour later, some 25 miles due south on Montclaire Street – after fleeing in one stolen car, wrecking the car, then stealing another, according to police.
Along the way, the defendant “repeatedly assaulted” other drivers in service of the auto thefts, police allege. He also allegedly tried to steal both a municipal water truck and a Waymo driverless car – but failed.
Later, law enforcement received two calls in quick succession that allowed investigators to hone in on the defendant’s location. One person reported Nieneker, whom they knew from Bible study, had thrown a brick through their window at their residence on La Casa Drive. Then, someone else reported a naked man using a porta-potty – also on La Casa Drive.
The defendant was found, naked, just down the street, but refused to comply with officers’ commands, police said. After being tased, he was arrested and allegedly confessed to his crimes.
But first, he allegedly vacillated – initially saying he was not in control of his emotions or body, but later telling police: “I was in control,” according to the affidavit. Nieneker also allegedly said the gun used in the slayings was given to him by a family member.
“Ethan admitted he knew the difference between right and wrong,” the affidavit reads. “Ethan admitted everything he did was wrong.”
The defendant is currently being detained in the Travis County Correctional Complex on $2.5 million bond. He has also been ordered to undergo a mental evaluation and is currently under mental health observation. Nieneker is next slated to appear in court on Aug. 29.
