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Hearing held for Shane James
A hearing was held for a man accused of a multi-county spree of violence that left six people dead in December 2023. The attorney for Shane James Jr. said he would like to negotiate a plea deal, but no offers have been made yet.
AUSTIN, Texas - A hearing was held Tuesday for the suspect in a multi-county wave of violence that left six people dead last December.
The attorney for Shane James Jr said he’d like to negotiate a plea deal, but no offers have been made yet.
"He’s a very respectful person, a very intelligent person, but you know, he’s in a very, very stressful situation and so, like with anybody, people have their better days and their worst days," James’ attorney, Russell Hunt Jr. said about James, who is spending his time behind bars with multiple counts of capital murder looming.
James is believed to have killed six people and injured three others in a matter of less than 24 hours.
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Texas shooting spree suspect charges
More charges have been added for 34-year-old Shane James, the man police say killed six people and injured three in a shooting spree across Austin and San Antonio on Tuesday, Dec. 5.
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The shooting spree began in Bexar County when authorities said James killed his own parents in the home where he lived with them. He then apparently went up I-35 to Northeast Early College High School. A little before 11 a.m. that morning, Austin Police received the first call that a sergeant with Austin ISD had been shot.
At around noon, officers responded to the double homicide of Sabrina Rahman and Emmanuel Pop Ba in South Austin. About five hours later, a 911 call came in that a male cyclist had been shot in Southwest Austin.
Almost two hours later, another call came in about a burglary in progress less than two miles away. When officers arrived, they found James in the backyard. Police said he shot an officer.
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Texas shooting spree: A timeline of events
We're learning new details about Tuesday's city-wide shooting spree that started outside of an Austin ISD school. Police say four total people were killed in Austin, along with a double-homicide in San Antonio.
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"Shots fired, shots fired, where is he at, he just ran out the back, take cover, take cover, come over here, behind this car," an APD officer is heard saying on body camera footage.
James then took off in a stolen car and police followed until he crashed about four miles away.
Katherine Short and her daughter, Lauren Short, were later found at the home, shot, and killed.
"We are progressing through the very voluminous discovery in the case," Hunt said.
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Texas shooting spree: Who is the shooter?
We have learned a lot about Shane James, the suspect in the Texas shooting spree that killed six people in Austin and San Antonio. According to law enforcement, James has a history in the military, and a history of mental health issues.
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Hunt said they’re working on getting the evidence from Bexar County and Travis County in case they go to trial.
"I would always frankly prefer avoiding a trial if that’s at all possible, I’d rather have a negotiated outcome where everybody gets sort of something they can live with," Hunt said.
Hunt said no offers have been made. The next court date is August 20th.
"He {James} will be brought at the next setting," Hunt said.
Because there are multiple indictments, the cases could be split up or all tried together, which hasn’t been decided yet.
The death penalty is still on the table.