Austin police say device that exploded Friday morning was inside of a package

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin police said the explosive device that detonated at a Haverford Drive home Friday morning killing one man was inside of a package.

Originally police were calling the investigation a homicide, now they said it is considered a suspicious death because they haven't ruled out the possibility that the victim may have constructed and accidentally detonated the device himself. 

“When we arrived, we saw that there had been an explosion of some type. What we have determined in the following days is that this appeared to be a package,” said Assistant Chief Joseph Chacon with the Austin Police Department.   

Police say 39-year-old Anthony House is the sole victim in the explosion. He was taken to a Round Rock hospital where he died from his injuries. 

“Right now, we're trying to determine how did the package get there and who was the intended target? We do feel that this was targeted at somebody. We're still trying to figure out whether that was the individual who died or not,” Chacon said. 

The ATF is working to reconstruct the device to learn more about how it worked and who may have created it. 
                
Police said they don't believe there is any ongoing threat to the public. 

“Anytime we have a bomb go off like that and somebody dies, the first thing people think is terrorism. While we cannot completely rule it out at this point, we do not believe that terrorism is a motive in this death,” said Chacon.  

So far, officers said they do not have a suspect or a motive in House's death. 
                
Understandably, neighbors on Haverford Drive have been concerned about packages left on their property. 

“I think that if people are expecting a package and go out there and find one, then that's probably the package they were waiting for, but if you were not and your gut is telling you something is wrong, you certainly can call the police department and we can start the process of figuring out where that came from. Having said that, I do not believe that we have someone going around leaving packages like this,” Chacon said. 

Police are asking anyone with information about the explosive device or possible motive for the attack to report it to them. 

House has faced previous charges in Travis County.