Austin Target shooting suspect claimed he was Jesus, chose his victims
By Anna Young
The disturbed fiend who allegedly opened fire in a Target parking lot in Texas claimed to be Jesus and gunned down his three victims — identified Tuesday as a cart collector, a grandfather and his 4-year-old granddaughter — at random.
Ethan Nieneker, 32, went on the deadly rampage Monday afternoon in Austin, using a gun obtained by a family member to fatally shoot Target employee Hector Leopoldo Martinez Machuca, 24, Adam Chow, 66, and Chow’s young granddaughter, the Austin Police Department announced Tuesday.
“He said that he was Jesus and there was no real reason whatsoever given,” Austin Homicide detective Nathan Sexton said of the accused mentally ill gunman’s violent spree.
Mugshot of Ethan Nieneker, suspect in a fatal shooting.
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Ethan Nieneker claimed he was Jesus, and chose his victims at random.
Austin Police Department
“It was a completely random choosing of the victims.”
Police said the fatal mayhem began around 2:15 p.m. Monday when Nieneker – who has a long rap sheet with the department – stormed the retail lot just north of Austin wearing a Hawaiian shirt and randomly targeted Machuca as the employee was collecting shopping carts.
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Photo of Ethan Nieneker giving a thumbs up.
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Nieneker’s three victims included a 24-year-old Austin Target employee, a grandfather and his 4-year-old granddaughter.
Facebook/Ethan Nieneker
Map showing the location of a Target store in Austin, Texas.
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The location of the Target where the shooting occurred.
Tam Nguyen / NYPost Design
The rabid assailant then fired at a Jeep trying to escape the gunfire before approaching a gray Toyota 4-Runner, where he fatally shot Chow, who was in the driver’s seat, and Chow’s granddaughter in the backseat.
Police officer at a Target parking lot crime scene.
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Nieneker is accused of gunning down the victims in Austin on Monday afternoon before making a dramatic getaway that involved two stolen cars and a police chase.
AP
The family members were both pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The Target employee was taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Chow’s wife was also injured in the heinous attack before Nieneker stole their car and fled at high speed from the store.
Nieneker later crashed the Toyota into a Volkswagen before coming to a rest on top of an Infiniti SUV. He then assaulted the Volkswagen driver, hijacked the vehicle, and drove off, according to police.
He was eventually taken down with a Taser about 20 miles away in the city’ south end after throwing a brick through a friend’s house and wandering naked through a backyard, all of which was captured on video surveillance.
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