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The
slayings, which followed a spate of mass shootings in the United
States, drew a large emergency response, as officers raced to
the neighborhood and locked down the surrounding area, which
includes a popular shopping complex.
Authorities lifted the shelter-in-place order on Sunday
afternoon after determining that the incident was domestic in
nature, rather than an active shooter situation, and launched a
manhunt for the suspect.
Joseph Chacon, Austin's interim police chief, identified the
suspected gunman as 41-year-old Stephen Broderick, a former
detective for the Travis County Sheriff's Office, which is based
in Austin, the state capital.
Last June, Broderick was placed on administrative leave after
being charged with sexual assault of a child, local media
reported at the time.
Two women and a man were killed shortly before noon CDT, Chacon
said.
"This appears to be a domestic incident, and the victims were
all known to our suspect," Chacon said, but added that Broderick
should nevertheless be considered "armed and very much
dangerous."
Chacon said investigators had exhausted several tips but had
been unable to locate Broderick.
(Reporting by Peter Szekely in New York and Joseph Ax in
Princeton, New Jersey; Editing by Nick Zieminski, Peter Cooney
and Michael Perry)
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