A crazed gunman allegedly shot dead a little girl in front of her grandmother seconds after murdering her grandpa in a rampage through a Target.
Adam Chow, 65, and his four-year-old granddaughter were gunned down in the parking lot, along with Target worker Hector Leopoldo Martinez Machuca, 24.
Ethan Blaine Nieneker, 32, was subdued by police tasers as he ran naked out of a ‘porta potty’ after he fled the store in northern Austin on Monday.
Chief Lisa Davis alleged at a press conference on Tuesday that Nieneker first ‘randomly’ shot Machuca in the parking lot about 2.15pm as he collected trolleys.
The Hawaiian shirt-wearing gunman then fired at a black jeep that tried to evade his shot, before turning his gun on Chow’s grey Toyota 4-Runner.
Chow was shot in the driver’s seat, then Nieneker fired into the back seats – hitting the granddaughter, Davis alleged.
The mortally wounded grandfather’s wife tried to carry the girl to safety, when Nieneker pushed them out of the car and drove away.
About 2.20pm he pulled up next to a water truck parked by the side of the Mopac Expressway, allegedly bashed its driver, and pulled him out of the vehicle.
Ethan Blaine Nieneker, the man accused of opening fire outside of a Target in Texas, killing three people, has been pictured for the first time in his mugshot looking beaten and bruised
Adam Chow (left) was killed and his wife (second from left) wounded during the Target shooting, and their four-year-old granddaughter also murdered
Target worker Hector Leopoldo Martinez Machuca, 24, was the first victim as he was shot dead while collecting trolleys
Nieneker tried to drive the truck away but wasn’t able to, instead chasing the truck driver away with his pistol before returning to the Toyota.
Five minutes later he crashed into a Volkswagen before landing on top of an Infiniti SUV, then allegedly attacked and carjacked the Volkswagen driver.
Nieneker only drove that car until 2.34pm when he tried to steal a Waymo car, but failed and got back in the Volkswagen.
Minutes later, a church acquaintance of Nieneker claimed a brick came flying through the window of his house on La Casa Drive after the gunman threw it.
Nieneker’s alleged rampage continued until 2.58pm when he was spotted walking naked through a backyard down the street from the one he bricked.
He was seen running into a ‘porta potty’, then running away again before police found him and demanded he surrender.
When he refused, police fired their tasers and he was arrested at 3.06pm.
‘The investigation shows that Nieneker conducted these violent offenses of shooting at multiple victims, killing three victims, and destroying multiple vehicles, in the span of less than one hour,’ police said.
Chow was pronounced dead at the scene at 2.39pm and his granddaughter at. 2.50pm. Chow’s wife only suffered minor injuries.
Police say Nieneker fled the scene in a stolen vehicle, which he then crashed
Nieneker allegedly fled from the Target to South Austin, where he was apprehended
Nieneker was charged with two counts of capital murder for Chow and his granddaughter first-degree felony murder of Machuca.
His booking photo at the Travis County Jail showed him staring straight at the camera with several fresh cuts on his face.
Davis said police received calls about the shooting 15 minutes after it began and rushed to the scene within four minutes.
Social media photos of Nieneker showed him grinning with friends at social events, posing while wearing a Covid-style mask by a trash bin, and posing beside a fireplace.
Another Facebook image showed the alleged gunman holding a large brown leaf in front of his face and creepily peering over it, and a fifth photo had Nieneker wearing an American flag as a bandana.
Davis told reporters on Monday evening that Nieneker has a history of mental illness and a prior criminal history.
Records obtained by the Daily Mail showed he was arrested numerous times since 2011, including in August 2015 for assaulting a family member.
Pictured: A photograph of Nieneker from his Facebook page showing him wearing a face mask
The Daily Mail has also unearthed photographs of Nieneker from social media, including the one above showing him grinning with a friend at social events
Another image from Nieneker’s Facebook page shows him holding a large brown leaf in front of his face and creepily peering over it
Pictured: A photograph of Nieneker from his Facebook page showing him beside a fireplace
Nieneker was also previously arrested for driving while intoxicated twice, criminal mischief and a violation of a bond or protective order.
Shoppers and employees at Target said they ran for cover when they heard gunshots ring out in the parking lot.
‘I was inside the store, but then I hear on the radio like shots fired, so then they just told us “active shooter…” so we just ran outside, we told guests to get out,’ Target employee Freyen Sagastume told KXAN.
‘I thought that this only happened like in the news and stuff and then like I kind of just froze at first, but then I saw everyone running.’
Meanwhile, at the nearby Jiffy Lube, employees hunkered down and locked the store’s doors when they became aware there was a shooting outside.
One mechanic, Paul Smith, told Spectrum Local News he saw people running from their cars in the parking lot in a panic.
‘I had just gotten back from the Target like a minute before,’ he said.
Nieneker also posted the above image of himself wearing an American flag as a bandana
Authorities pronounced two people dead at the scene of the shooting, while a third succumbed to their injuries en route to a local hospital
Target said it would provide counseling to staff struggling with witnessing the shooting.
‘We are devastated by the violence that occurred today at our store in Austin, Texas. Our hearts are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, our team in Austin and all those impacted by this tragedy,’ the company said.
‘We are working with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation and are grateful to the first responders who acted quickly at the scene.
‘In the days ahead, we will continue partnering with law enforcement and will be providing support resources, including grief counseling, to our team.’
