Three people are shot dead in Austin with gunman remaining on the loose
PICTURED: College football linebacker among three ‘killed by Austin detective who was fired last year for rape of 16-year-old girl as hunt continues for armed and dangerous killer’
- Manhunt is underway for the shooter who killed three adults in Austin on Sunday
- Former sheriff’s deputy Stephen Nicholas Broderick, 41, was named as suspect
- He was placed on leave last June, facing charges of sexually assaulting a minor
- Helicopters, SWAT teams and FBI agents are now involved in a frenzied search
- Police say Broderick is not targeting random people, but fear he’ll take a hostage
- Willie Simmons, a linebacker from Elgin, was among his victims, UNT coaches and players confirmed on social media on Sunday
A high school football star and recent signee with the University of North Texas was shot dead by an Austin detective who also killed two women before going on the run.
Police and the FBI are hunting Stephen Nicholas Broderick, 41, who allegedly went on a murderous rampage on Sunday at an apartment complex, in what investigators are calling a ‘domestic situation’.
Willie Simmons, a linebacker from Elgin, was among his victims, UNT coaches and players confirmed on social media on Sunday. The teen was a member of UNT’s 2021 recruiting class after signing with the team in December.
On Sunday, UNT tight ends coach Adrian Mayes, who played a key role in recruiting Simmons, tweeted his condolences and shock.
‘Prayers to the Simmons family and all families affected,’ he wrote. ‘What an unbelievable kid! Intelligent, hard working and passionate! Going to miss you! #RIP9’
UNT recruiting coordinator Luke Walerius added that he ‘couldn’t wrap his hear around’ the loss of the teen who had a ‘bright smile, infectious personality, and larger than life heart.’
The identifies of the two women have not yet been revealed but police confirmed they were known to Broderick.
Broderick is a former Travis County Sheriff’s Detective who was put on unpaid leave last June after he was charged with raping a 16-year-old girl, authorities confirmed.
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Willie Simmons (left) was among Stephen Nicholas Broderick’s three victims after the former detective allegedly went on a murderous rampage on Sunday at an apartment complex, in what investigators are calling a ‘domestic situation’
Broderick, pictured left in an earlier photo, was arrested on June 6 by the U.S. Marshals Service and charged with sexual assault of a child. He was placed on administrative leave without pay and later resigned from Travis County Sheriff’s Office
Law enforcement personnel turn on Great Hills Trail near the scene of a deadly shooting at the Arboretum Oaks apartment complex in Austin, Texas on Sunday
Helicopters, SWAT teams and FBI agents are now involved in a frenzied search for Broderick, and police are urging anyone who sees him to consider him armed and dangerous and call 911.
‘At this point we do not think that this individual is out targeting random people to shoot them — that does not mean that he is not dangerous,’ Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon said.
‘He is still at large, we do think that he is armed, and he is still very much dangerous,’ Chacon said.
Chacon said that the exact relationship between the suspect and the victims was still unclear, and he was also unable to say whether the minor who was involved was the child of any of the victims.
Willie Simmons, a linebacker from Elgin, was among Brodderick’s victims, UNT coaches and players confirmed on social media on Sunday
The teen was a member of UNT’s 2021 recruiting class after signing with the team in December
Broderick was arrested last June 6 on a charge of sexually assaulting a child, and spent 16 days behind bars before posting a $50,000 bail.
The alleged assault took place in a home in Elgin, a town about 20 miles east of Austin, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. The victim made an outcry to her her mother, who took her for a medical exam that confirmed the abuse.
Sunday’s shooting took place in an apartment complex in The Arboretum neighborhood on the northwest side of Austin.
Shots were first reported Sunday in a 911 call at 11.42am CT, with Austin Police Department at 1pm confirming that the shooter was still active.
In a second release 40 minutes later, APD said the incident is believed to be a ‘domestic situation’ and suggested the gunman did not pose a risk to the wider public.
However, Chacon later told reporters at a press conference that police were advising people to shelter at home over fears the shooter could ‘take a hostage’.
Dozens of patrol cars rushed to the scene of a shooting in Austin Sunday along with heavily-armed SWAT teams in military fatigues
Austin Police Interim Chief Joseph Chacon walks away from a press briefing across from the Arboretum Oaks apartment complex on Sunday
Broderick allegedly shot the trio at an apartment complex near The Arboretum in the north-west of the city in what officers called a ‘domestic situation’
He said police were no longer treating the case as an active shooter incident but ‘danger remains high’.
Chief Chacon said cops were on the scene four minutes after receiving reports that shots have been fired.
He identified the victims as two Hispanic women and one black man.
Describing the suspect, he said: ‘We think we know our suspect, Stephen Nicholas Broderick, 41.
‘We are concerned he might possibly take a hostage and be himself sheltered somewhere waiting for us to leave.’
He said Broderick is 5 feet, 7 inches (1.7 meters) tall and Black. He was wearing a gray hoodie, sunglasses and a baseball cap.
Chacon continued: ‘We don’t know if he’s on a vehicle or on foot. We are asking individuals to continue sheltering in place because this is still an active.’
Asked if the suspect was a former detective facing child sex charges also called Stephen Broderick, Chief Chacon initially refused to confirm this but later confirmed the suspect ‘at one time was a deputy with the Travis County Sheriff’s office.’
Broderick allegedly shot three people near The Arboretum in the north-west of the city in what officers called a ‘domestic situation’. Pictured are armored SWAT trucks at the scene
Chief Chacon said police were on the scene four minutes after receiving reports that shots have been fired. He identified the victims as two Hispanic women and one black man
Also also said that a child was involved in Sunday’s incident but was unharmed and is now with police.
Broderick was arrested on June 6 by the U.S. Marshals Service and charged with sexual assault of a child. He was placed on administrative leave without pay and later resigned from Travis County Sheriff’s Office.
The arrest affidavit seen by the Austin American-Statesman said the child sex assault happened at a home in Elgin. The victim cried to her mother, who took the child for an examination and doctors confirmed the abuse.
The property crimes detective was booked into jail and spent 16 days behind bars prior to posting bail, which was set at $50,000.
Court and public records show that Broderick’s wife filed for a protective order and divorce shortly after her husband’s arrest.
Shots were first reported Sunday in a 911 call at 11.42am CT, with Austin Police Department at 1pm confirming that the shooter was still active
Josh Katzowitz, who had been shopping at the nearby Trader Joe’s, said police and ambulances came ‘pouring in’ to the area as he was leaving
The Austin-Travis County EMS said three adults had been killed but it had not received reports of any other victims
The Austin-Travis County EMS said Sunday that three adults had been killed but it had not received reports of any other victims.
Josh Katzowitz, who had been shopping at the nearby Trader Joe’s, said police and ambulances came ‘pouring in’ to the area as he was leaving.
He didn’t hear any shooting.
‘The cops had their guns out,’ he said. ‘Some had pistols, some had rifles and they were strapping on bulletproof vests.
‘There were all of a sudden ambulances, sirens and police cars There were cops coming from everywhere.’
Austin Police Department tweeted at 1.40pm CT: ‘APD is currently on scene of an active shooting incident at Great Hills Trail and Rain Creek Parkway.
‘All residents are advised to shelter in place and avoid the area. PIO en route. – PIO8.’
EMS spokeswoman Capt. Christa Stedman said early Sunday afternoon that the first 911 call came in at 11.44am CT and that three adults were fatally shot
Austin Police Department tweeted at 1.50pm ET: ‘APD is currently on scene of an active shooting incident at Great Hills Trail and Rain Creek Parkway.’ The department added 40 minutes later that it was a ‘domestic situation’
The department added 40 minutes later: ‘At this time the Great Hills Trail scene is still active. We are still asking residents to shelter in place and report suspicious activity.
‘While a suspect is still at large it appears this is a domestic situation that is isolated and there is no risk to the general public.’
EMS spokeswoman Capt. Christa Stedman said early Sunday afternoon that the first 911 call came in at 11.44am CT.
Images from the scene showed a large presence of emergency responders.
Steadman said she did not know the exact location where the three people were killed.
She said they responded to an area that included a strip mall, several retail stores with a large apartment complex behind it.
