Three youths in custody after Austin shootings injure four people

Three youths are in police custody after a spree of at least 10 shootings wounded four people who appeared to be targeted randomly in Austin, Texas, according to authorities. The suspects who were arrested in connection with the shootings also allegedly took aim at various buildings and houses while driving around the capital city in stolen cars, the Austin police chief, Lisa Davis, said Sunday. Before the suspects were jailed, city officials temporarily ordered people residing in a large southern section of Austin to shelter in place, an exceptional public safety measure that spoke to the indiscriminate nature of the spree. “We don’t have any specific motive that has been identified,” the Austin mayor, Kirk Watson, said after the arrests. “In fact, these actions appear to be random.” Officials say a pair of boys, ages 15 and 17, are accused of firing at two fire stations, apartment buildings and homes amid a series of robberies and shootings from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning. The younger of those boys allegedly stole the gun used to carry out the shootings. Meanwhile, the older boy had purportedly been wanted for stealing a separate gun. Of the four people who were reported shot during the teens’ alleged spree of crimes, one was said to be critically injured. Three reportedly had wounds that were not considered life-threatening. …