The end of gun violence is still nowhere in sight and sadly today is no exception. Recently, another tragic shooting claimed the lives of three people at a Target store, including a cart collector, a grandfather, and his 4-year-old granddaughter. The accused gunman is an Austin, Texas man named Ethan Nieneker, 32. What makes this case even more shocking is that he claimed to be Jesus before carrying out the attack. Armed with a family member’s handgun, the Austin man arrived at the Target parking lot and opened fire on unsuspecting civilians.
So far, investigators have not found a clear motive explaining why the Austin suspect murdered these three innocent victims. The grandfather and the young girl died at the scene, while the employee was rushed to the hospital but later succumbed to his wounds. The suspect then stole a car, crashed it into another vehicle, assaulted another woman, and hijacked her car as well. Police eventually stopped him with a Taser.
Authorities are now investigating how the Austin gunman obtained the weapon and whether he was under the influence of drugs or other substances. They are also assessing his mental health. While the incident shocked many, those familiar with Nieneker’s background may not be surprised because he has a lengthy criminal record, including arrests for assault, drug possession, and DUI.
The news of the gun violence in the Austin Target parking lot shocked and horrified many internet users. People expressed disbelief, struggling to understand how anyone could randomly shoot innocent people without any reason. One person wrote, “Can we go one day without gun violence?”
Some users speculated that the Austin gunman’s choice of victims might have been racially motivated. A TikTok commenter pointed out, “The slain worker’s last name was Machuca, the grandfather and child’s last names were Cho 💔 These were racialized unalivings.”
Others questioned why no one was stepping in to help the Austin man before it reached this point, noting that it was clear he was struggling with mental health issues especially when considering his criminal history. Many saw the tragedy as yet another example of the system’s failure to address mental illness before it leads to violence.
There were also strong opinions that the man should have already been behind bars. One commenter wrote, “It is unbelievable that it is being reported on the same news that the suspect ‘has no known mental health history’ and ‘has a lengthy record of violent crimes.’ A sane person doesn’t have a record of violent crimes? Was he ever arrested? If so, he wasn’t evaluated? 🙄”
