'He said that he was Jesus': Police release details on deadly Texas Target shooting

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The man suspected of shooting three people to death, including a child, in a Target parking lot in Austin, told police he was Jesus and obtained a firearm through a family member despite a history of mental health struggles, authorities said.

Police identified the shooter as Ethan Nieneker, 32, and said he began his attack by shooting Target employee Hector Leopoldo Martinez Machuca as he collected shopping carts Aug. 11. Nieneker then ran up to a gray Toyota 4-Runner and killed Adam Chow and his 4-year-old granddaughter before pushing Chow's wife from the vehicle, police said in a news release. Chow's wife survived with minor injuries.

"What happened yesterday was an unprovoked and deliberate attack, a deliberate act of violence," Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said Aug. 12. "Innocent lives were taken in broad daylight, in a place where people should feel safe to run their everyday errands and to live their everyday lives."

Paste BN is working to reach an attorney or family member who can speak on Nieneker's behalf.

Chaotic timeline after deadly Target shooting

After the killings at 2:15 p.m. CT, police say, Nieneker stole Chow's car and made a chaotic getaway, assaulting multiple people and stealing cars along the way. Here's a timeline released by authorities:

• 2:20 p.m.: Driving the 4-Runner, police said, Nieneker came across a parked water truck, opened the driver's door, assaulted the driver, and threw him out of the vehicle before trying to drive it. Unable to figure out how to operate the truck, authorities said, he then chased a man, pistol in hand, before returning to the 4-Runner and driving off.
• 2:25 p.m.: Police said Nieneker crashed the 4-Runner into a Volkswagen and landed on top of an SUV. He then jumped out of the 4-Runner, assaulted the Volkswagen's driver, pushed her out of the car, and drove off.
• 2:34 p.m.: According to police, Nieneker ran up to a Waymo vehicle and tried to break in before he got back in the Volkswagen and drove away.
• 2:37 p.m.: Police said Nieneker threw a brick through a window of the home of someone he knew through Bible study.
• 2:58 p.m.: Austin police received a call from a South Austin resident who reported seeing a man run into a portable toilet and then leave naked.
• 3:06 p.m.: Police found Nieneker, naked and holding a Bible. They said he failed to comply with their commands, so they used a Taser stun gun on him and arrested him. They found clothing inside the portable toilet matching the Target shooting suspect's attire, including a Hawaiian shirt.

Charges, motive, and what we know about Ethan Nieneker

Davis said Nieneker worked at a local restaurant and lived alone. He has been charged with two counts of capital murder and first-degree felony murder. Police said he will face more charges related to the assaults and carjackings that followed.

As for a motive, police Sgt. Nathan Sexton said, there was "really no reason whatsoever given."

"He said that he was Jesus," Sexton said. "It was a completely random choosing of the victims."

Sexton said that the handgun used in the attack was "acquired through family" and that the department was investigating possible charges against the family member.

Davis said Nieneker's history with Austin police included assault causing bodily injury to a family member, driving under the influence, violation of a protective order, marijuana possession, and two mental health reports.

"This man had some serious issues, and I think about the systems that failed in a way, as we move forward," she said. "We're looking at this background, and again, this is going to be things that are going to be coming up in the months and the years ahead. There were some serious failures here."

'Pain caused will be felt by our community for years to come'

Davis declined to detail who failed Nieneker or exactly how and said she did not know if he had been formally diagnosed.

"What help are they getting when you're dealing with someone with these issues?" Davis asked. "Where does someone with this capacity to do this get a weapon? And when does a family member feel comfortable giving someone with these issues a weapon?"

She called the case "a heartbreaking and deeply painful time for our city."

"The actions of the suspect showed a complete disregard for human life," she said. "The pain caused will be felt by our community for years to come."

Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at amanda.myers@usatoday.com and follow her on X at @AmandaLeeUSAT