Three people were declared dead at the scene of a shooting in Austin, Texas, on Sunday afternoon, emergency officials said on Twitter.
Austin police did not release the names of the victims, who they said were two Hispanic females and a Black male. They said on Twitter that the incident appeared to be "a domestic situation that is isolated and there is no risk to the general public."
"We are still asking residents to shelter in place and report suspicious activity," police said.
A 911 call was made at 11:42 a.m. local time. Police arrived at the Arboretum Oaks Apartments about 4 minutes later, officials said.
At a news conference, Police Chief Joseph Chacon named Stephen Broderick, 41, as a tentative suspect and said officials decided to release Broderick's name because he was not in custody and he was considered armed and dangerous. Broderick was described as a 5-foot-7 Black man wearing a gray hoodie, sunglasses and a baseball cap.
"This is still an ongoing and active investigation, and we do not have this individual in custody yet. We would ask if you have your neighbor's phone numbers, call or text them check on them and make sure that they're OK. We are concerned that he might possibly take a hostage and be himself sheltered somewhere waiting for us to leave. And most importantly, if you see something or you have information regarding this incident, call 911," Chacon said.
Broderick is a former Travis County sheriff's detective who was charged with sexual assault of a child in June, NBC affiliate KXAN of Austin reported.
Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services first tweeted about the shooting, in the 9600 block of Great Hills Trail in Northwest Austin, at about noon, saying that the three victims suffered gunshot wounds and that CPR was being performed. Officials tweeted later that the three victims had died.
No other patients "have been reported or located at this time," the agency said.
If you or someone you know is facing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence hotline for help at (800) 799-SAFE (7233) or go to www.thehotline.org for more. States often have domestic violence hotlines, as well.
