AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- One suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting in Austin's Sixth Street entertainment district early Saturday morning, officials said.
Sunday, police confirmed the arrested individual was a juvenile male. It's not clear if the second suspect, who remains at large, is also a juvenile.
According to Austin Police, the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Marshals assisted with the arrest of the first suspect. Detectives are continuing to work leads and evidence in the case.
Austin Police interim chief Joseph Chacon, speaking early Saturday afternoon at police headquarters, said the number of victims had increased by one to 14, after an additional victim self-transported himself to a local hospital.
Two of the victims remain hospitalized in critical condition, Chacon said, while the other 12 are in stable condition.
Police believe nearly all of the victims are innocent bystanders. Chacon said detectives are still reviewing available video footage to determine if any of the victims have a connection to the suspects.
"This does appear to be an isolated incident between two parties," said Chacon.
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Five full shifts of officers were working in the downtown area Friday night, Chacon said, which is not unusual. He highlighted ongoing staffing issues within the department, saying that as crowds ramp back up to pre-pandemic levels, the need for officers is growing - and that offering overtime hours to the existing force isn't a long-term solution with a growing number of officer vacancies that can't be filled.
Chacon said state troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety will assist with downtown security Saturday night, and he'll evaluate the need for them to continue assisting moving forward.
Just last week, APD began its first cadet class in nearly two years, after Austin City Council members voted to cancel two cadet classes as a part of budget cuts made to the department last summer. Officials say the 100 recruits in that class won't hit the streets until next year, with the department losing more than 250 officers from the force in the past 18 months.
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Chacon said detectives are reviewing video footage from a number of sources, including officer body-worn cameras, downtown HALO cameras, and surveillance video from businesses along Sixth Street. In addition to APD, Texas DPS, the FBI, and the ATF are all assisting with the investigation.
Chacon again credited the quick action of APD officers in preventing any fatalities. "Our officers were amazing - in the actions that they took, and the speed with which they took them," Chacon said, highlighting the difficulty for EMS vehicles to reach the scene through the crowds. Officers applied tourniquets and other first aid to save some of the victims, and transported six of the victims to nearby hospitals in their own patrol vehicles.
Despite increased crowds from the annual Republic of Texas Rally, Chacon said there's no indication the two events are connected.