AUSTIN, Texas — On Sunday, March 1, FBI agents and local police swarmed the entertainment district in Austin. West 6th Street was closed; crime scene tape outlined the spot at the center of an investigation into a shooting where a gunman killed three people and injured 15 others.
Since the attack, more than 150 FBI personnel and eight different specialized units have worked to understand the shooter’s motive.
One month later, business is back to normal on West 6th Street, but even as time passes, the pain has not. The call for answers has also intensified. In the first week after the shooting, the Austin Police Department (APD) held a couple of different press conferences. The FBI said the act of violence could be related to terrorism.
“We want to make sure that we have our facts 100% correct or as close to or at least we’ve tracked down every possible lead that we can, because that’s what we owe to the victims,” said Alex Doran, an FBI agent, at a news conference days after the shooting.
Spectrum News asked the FBI for an update on whether a motive has been confirmed, if the agency had found any nexus of terrorism related to the shooting or if there was any sense of how long the investigation could last. The FBI said it does not have any updates to release at this time.
Criminologist Alex Del Carmen said it’s not uncommon for investigators not to comment during an active investigation.
From the start, APD said the investigation would take a long time. The FBI confirmed several agencies from Austin to San Antonio were working together to find answers to questions.
The FBI’s digital images and video recovery team has gathered mountains of evidence, including over 2,000 digital images.
“I know people are eager to find out, you know, what happened and to be able to get the full scope of the story,” said Carmen. “The problem is that for law enforcement, this is a very long process. They have to be able to tie this down to perhaps foreign entities. They have to figure out what sort of electronic connections there are between the individual that is now deceased.”
Carmen said these types of investigations can take months or years.
Spectrum News reached out to APD. A spokesperson sent us the following statement:
“Today marks one month since the tragic shooting on West Sixth Street that took the lives of Savitha Shan, Ryder Harrison, and Jorge Pederson. We continue to hold them and their families in our hearts.
“The investigation into the shooting is still open and ongoing with Austin Police (APD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). At this time, we have no new information to share.
“Our security posture is continuously evaluated to ensure best practices, and we remain grateful for the swift actions of our officers, our first responder partners, and community members.
“We recognize that this horrific incident has had a lasting impact on many. We want to remind those in our community who may still be struggling, that support is available through APD Victims Services at 512-974-5037.”