Fatal Budget Inn Shooting Details

Austin police said a shooting at the Budget Inn in North Austin on Friday, May 8, became a homicide case after the wounded man died nearly a week later. The victim was identified by the Austin Police Department as Se Hun Park, 56, who officers found unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the chest at the motel’s front desk. Police said Park died on Thursday, May 14, at 6:48 p.m. after being taken to a local hospital. Investigators identified Sean Walton, 24, as the suspect and said he was arrested two days after the shooting in Cibolo, Texas. ### Where and when did the shooting happen? Austin police said officers were dispatched at 7:32 p.m. on Friday, May 8, to the Budget Inn at 9106 North Interstate Highway 35 southbound after a caller reported that someone had been shot. Officers arriving at the motel found Park at the front desk with a chest wound, according to the department’s May 15 homicide release. (austintexas.gov) The Austin Police Department listed the case number as 26-1281402 and said crime scene specialists and detectives from the aggravated assault unit responded after the shooting. The case was later reclassified as a homicide after Park died from his injuries, police said. (austintexas.gov) ### What do police say led up to the gunfire? APD said its preliminary investigation found that Walton and Park got into a verbal argument before the shooting. Police said Walton then pulled out a firearm and shot Park. KXAN, citing the same police release, reported that investigators described the confrontation as a “heated” argument. (austintexas.gov) Austin police have not publicly detailed what the men were arguing about in the release posted on the city’s website. ### What happened after the shooting? (austintexas.gov) Police said Walton fled the scene in a vehicle after the shooting at the motel. Austin investigators then obtained an arrest warrant and worked with other agencies to locate him, according to the department. On May 10, officers with the Cibolo Police Department arrested Walton in Cibolo, a city northeast of San Antonio, APD said. (kxan.com) KXAN reported on May 15 that Walton did not have an attorney listed in connection with the case at that time. ### Who was identified in the case? (austintexas.gov) The Austin Police Department identified the victim as Se Hun Park, an Asian man born on Sept. 7, 1969. Police identified the suspect as Sean Walton, a 24-year-old Hispanic man. APD’s public release did not describe any prior relationship between Park and Walton, and it did not say whether Park worked at the motel or was a guest. (austintexas.gov) Local television reports described the shooting as happening at the front desk, but those accounts attributed the underlying facts to police. ### How are investigators classifying the case now? Austin police said the investigation is being handled as the city’s 25th homicide of 2026. The department said Walton remained in custody in Guadalupe County as of the May 15 release. Anyone with information can contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS, police said. (austintexas.gov) APD also said anonymous tips can be submitted through Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477. ### What comes next in the case? As of May 15, Austin police said the investigation was ongoing and Walton was still being held in Guadalupe County. (austintexas.gov) The next public updates are likely to come through APD releases, jail or court records in Guadalupe County, and any future charging documents filed by prosecutors.