Buda Shooting Reveals Austin Attack String

Buda police said on May 22 that a shooting at a business on Main Street in Buda was connected to a wider string of shootings and related crimes that unfolded across Austin on May 16 and May 17. Austin police said three suspects were arrested in the case, including 17-year-old Cristian Mondragon-Fajardo, while two other suspects are juveniles whose identities were not released. The Buda case did not leave anyone injured, but investigators said physical evidence and Flock Safety camera data tied it to the Austin incidents. Austin police said the broader investigation includes shootings, stolen vehicles and other violent crimes, and that some incidents appeared random while others involved people known to the suspects. ### How did a burglary alarm in Buda become part of the Austin case? Buda police said officers were dispatched just after 5 a.m. on Sunday, May 17, to a business in the 500 block of Main Street after a burglary alarm and glass-break sensor were triggered. Officers found bullet casings and damage to the building’s glass windows and interior and exterior walls, according to the department. The business on Main Street was unoccupied at the time, and no injuries were reported, Buda police said. The department said the offense under investigation is deadly conduct, a third-degree felony, and that other charges could be added. ### What did investigators say linked Buda to the Austin shootings? Buda police said detectives worked with the Austin Police Department and used physical evidence and Flock Safety camera data to connect the Buda shooting to the Austin incidents. The department did not publicly describe the full evidence trail, but said the two sets of crimes were tied together through that review. KXAN, citing a Buda police release, reported that those involved in the Buda shooting are expected to face deadly conduct charges in that case. Buda police said the investigation remains ongoing and that the information released so far is preliminary. ### What happened in Austin before the Buda shooting was connected? Austin police said on May 18 that three suspects had been arrested in connection with a series of shootings, stolen vehicles and related violent crimes across the city between Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, May 17. The department said formal charges under review include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a motor vehicle, deadly conduct, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, evading arrest and theft of a firearm. Austin police said the first confirmed shooting in the sequence happened at 3:58 p.m. on May 16 in the 10 block of Yucca Drive, where officers found shell casings and bullet damage to a trailer residence. At 4:30 p.m., officers responded to another shooting in the 3300 block of Parker Lane, where vehicles and an occupied apartment were struck by gunfire, including rooms occupied by adults and young children, police said. The Austin Police Department said additional incidents followed in Montopolis and other parts of the city, and four people were injured over the course of the weekend. Police said investigators were still reviewing ballistic evidence, surveillance footage, witness statements and recovered evidence. ### Who are the suspects police have identified? Austin police publicly identified Cristian Mondragon-Fajardo, 17, because he has reached the age of criminal responsibility under Texas law. The department said two additional suspects, ages 16 and 15, were also taken into custody, but their identities were withheld because they are juveniles. The May 18 Austin police release said charges remained under review and that additional charges could be filed as the investigation develops. Police did not say in that release whether all three suspects would be charged in the Buda shooting, but Buda police said the cases are connected. ### Did police say the attacks were targeted or random? Austin police said investigators believe the incidents were “a mix of random and targeted shootings.” The department said some victims were known to the suspects, while other incidents appeared to have no known connection. Austin police also said they do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public related to the May 16-17 incidents. That statement came as investigators continued to sort through multiple scenes across Austin and the linked shooting in Buda. ### What happens next in the case? Buda police said anyone with information about the Main Street shooting should contact Detective Raul Valdez or submit an anonymous tip through Hays County Crime Stoppers. Austin police said investigators are continuing to review ballistic evidence, surveillance footage, witness statements and other recovered evidence as prosecutors weigh additional charges against the three suspects.