3 hospitalized following shooting at East Austin party, police say
AUSTIN, Texas - Three people were hospitalized following a shooting at a large party in East Austin early Tuesday morning, Austin police said.
Police said the shooting happened around 1 a.m. on Ebert Avenue near Springdale Road.
"I can tell you that the crime scene is pretty spread out. Like we were probably spread out over about a two-to-three city block radius," said Officer Michael Bullock with the Austin Police Department.
Three people were hospitalized, and one of them has life-threatening injuries.
"People running everywhere, cars peeling out. There was just, there was chaos," said one neighbor who didn’t want to be identified.
"Just a bunch of ruckus. You could hear the party going on and getting more hyped," said the neighbor. "As the night went on we just heard the gunfire."
Five people have been arrested in connection with the shooting. All are charged with deadly conduct, one with evading police, and additional charges are expected.
Police are not identifying any of the people arrested, or releasing the ages of those involved, citing the ongoing investigation.
"With the collaboration of violent crime night shift detectives, the patrol officers on scene, the Air One unit and our game unit, all five of those suspects have been arrested," said Cpl. Destiny Silva with the Austin Police Department.
The owner of the home where the party was being held wasn’t home when FOX 7 crews returned to the neighborhood late Tuesday. But witnesses say the party was full of young people, and neighbors tell FOX 7 the house is constantly being rented out on Airbnb, and this is not the first party that’s gotten out of hand.
"It’s not good for the neighborhood," said the neighbor. "With them renting to randoms and parties that are uncontrollable."
One neighbor said the house where the party was held is one of three rental homes on the block.
"These Airbnbs, they need to be looked at by the city of Austin. They need to be talked to about their regulations and what they’re doing and who they’re renting out to. They need to be a lot stricter," said the neighbor.
That neighbor has lived on this block since 1978, but says he’s never felt less safe.
"My kids. The kids from all around here. There are families around here. There are senior citizens, and it’s just the worry of what can happen. The bullets don’t have a name to it," he said.
If you have any information or video of what happened, you’re urged to call the Austin Police Aggravated Assault tip line at (512) 974-5245.