Austin Central Library shooting: Victim speaks out

Austin library shooting: Victim speaks out

The victim in Saturday's shooting at the Austin Central Library is now speaking out. And, new details revealed the suspect was involved in another shooting hours before.

AUSTIN, Texas - The victim in Saturday's shooting at the Austin Central Library is now speaking out.

New details revealed the suspect was involved in another shooting hours before.

The suspect responsible was involved in a different shooting on a CapMetro bus where records say he pointed a gun at a woman and child, ate a bag of meth, and then shot another victim.

Shooting victim speaks out

Local perspective:

"At that moment I knew, I just knew I was shot. I didn't know where I was shot. I knew I was shot," says Nicholas Berry, who recalls the moment he was shot at the Austin Central Library.

Berry was visiting from Waco on a day trip, and says he decided to stop by the library to brush up on some studying. It was around noon when Berry took a trip to the 6th floor bathroom. Once he entered, he noticed a man acting strange in one of the stalls.

"There was a gentleman in a back stall standing up on top of the toilet. And as he's standing up, standing up on top of the toilet, all you can see is just like his head part."

Berry says he approached the urinal and says he heard the suspect, now identified as Harol Keene, say something along the lines of "What are y’all backing back for?" Berry ignored this statement and headed towards the urinal next to the stall the man was standing up in. Berry says he then saw the man pointing something at him from over the stall before he heard a loud bang.

"So I looked down and then the blood just splatted up to my face. So I knew something was wrong. So boom, I just remember running out."

1 arrested, 1 injured in shooting at Austin library

Austin police said one person has been transported to the hospital after what they are calling a ?critical incident" in downtown Austin Saturday.

Once out of the bathroom, Berry began immediately warning people of what had just happened.

"Like this is not no trick or treat. Like this is no Halloween, I'm not playing with you guys. Like he just shot me for no particular reason," Berry told others at the library.

Berry eventually made his way down to the main floor where he was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

"The bullet went through my knuckle, and into my thigh, and out of my thigh," says Berry.

None of his injuries are life-threatening, but Berry says it will be a long road to recovery.

"I'm not going to tell you what the doctors are saying, but I'm definitely going to have some trouble. You know, for the rest of my life, and I'm not okay with it, but I'm dealing with it."

When it comes to Keene's future, Berry believes his mental health issues need to be addressed.

"He clearly needs some kind of help in the head. So fix that situation. There's something wrong with his train of thought."

New details released

Timeline:

Berry wasn't the first victim that day.

Harold Keene, 55, had shot another victim hours before. Court records say earlier that day at around 1:30 a.m., Keene was involved in an incident where he pointed a gun at a woman and young child.

One witness said they then saw him eat what appeared to be a bag of meth. That witness asked for the bus to stop. Once it had, Keene then pointed the weapon at the witness, shooting them outside the bus. The bullet grazed the victim’s hip.

Keene then fled the scene before heading to the Austin Central Library where he shot Berry.

What's next:

Keene was taken into custody and is being held on three charges of aggravated assault as well as one count of deadly conduct.

At the time of the shooting, he was already on probation for a felon with unlawful possession of a firearm as well as possession of a controlled substance.

The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Marco Bitonel and previous coverage

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