Three teens in custody accused of two-day shooting spree in Austin

Police in Austin, Texas, said Monday that three teenage suspects, including 17-year-old Cristian Fajardo Mondragon, were in custody after a two-day string of a dozen shootings and associated violent crimes over the weekend. The other two suspects were Hispanic males of ages 15 and 16, making them too young to be publicly identified, police said. The trio are accused of wounding four people, including one who was in critical condition as of Monday and one who was shot in both the back and stomach. Formal charges were still pending Monday, but were expected to include a slew of counts related to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and vehicle and firearm theft.

Police said incidents began Saturday morning and continued until Sunday afternoon. Throughout the weekend, the suspects allegedly carried out shootings at four residences and two fire stations and also shot at people in vehicles. Additionally, they’re accused of stealing at least five vehicles, most of which they allegedly used for drive-by shootings. The assortment of vehicles involved appeared to have slowed investigators who were attempting to connect and trace the attacks.

The teenagers also allegedly stole a gun. It was unclear whether that gun was used in the shootings and, if so, whether it was the only weapon used.

What do we know about the motive for the attacks? As of late Monday, investigators said the shootings appeared to be a mix of random and targeted attacks. The suspects knew some of the victims, but didn’t appear to have a connection to all of them, according to police.

Dig deeper: Read my report on a San Diego shooting carried out by teenagers.