Man, dog killed during shooting near Christmas Bazaar in Pflugerville

What was supposed to be a fun day, quickly came to a screeching halt. Officers found a dead man inside a vehicle with a gunshot wound. A dog was also shot.

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas - A man and dog are dead following a shooting in Pflugerville Saturday morning. Residents of this area say this neighborhood is usually safe and quiet, but they did see police at the scene one day prior to this incident.

Christmas came a little early to Stylin’ Salon and Spa after they chose to hold a Christmas Bazaar Saturday. The salon has only been open at its Main Street location in Pflugerville for a few months, so the owner thought it would be a great opportunity to connect with the neighborhood.

"We wanted to have a good time. We had a DJ, and we wanted to celebrate our new location downtown Pflugerville," said Blanca Rodriguez, Owner of Stylin’ Salon and Spa.

What was supposed to be a fun day, quickly came to a screeching halt. "I heard the initial gunshot, so we were kind of like fireworks? Maybe gunshots? We didn’t know," said Mauricio Rodriguez, a witness.

Right across the street from the salon, multiple shots were fired right in front of people attending this Christmas Bazaar. "Is this really happening right now or are my ears deceiving me? Obviously not, but my main goal was to get everyone else inside," said Aryah Monroy, a witness.

Mauricio Rodriguez says he saw most of what happened.

"I definitely saw two guns, and they were exchanging gunfire between one another. I saw a vehicle pull up and then, at that point, I turned around and went inside to get everyone away from the windows and down to try to keep everyone safe from those ricochet bullets," said Mauricio.

According to Pflugerville police, officers were called out to Walnut Street and 3rd Street for a shots fired call. On scene, officers found a man inside a vehicle with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased. A dog was also shot.

Danay Monroy is a vet tech who was at the bazaar. She was out on scene trying to save the dog, but it died from its injuries. "It’s heartbreaking. They’re innocent and it’s hard to see them involved at all," she said.

People working at the salon say they have seen police there the day before this incident and believe it is connected. "Officers had their rifles and everything, so it was a little bit of a scary scene they ended up leaving. I definitely do think that that was connected," said Jamie Villarreal, an employee at Stylin’ Salon and Spa.

Pflugerville police say several other persons of interest have been identified and detained. PPD believes all individuals involved are accounted for and know each other.

___
DOWNLOAD: FOX 7 AUSTIN NEWS APP
SUBSCRIBE: Daily Newsletter | YouTube
FOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter