Fatal Shooting at Budget Inn Explained by APD

Austin police said a fatal shooting at the Budget Inn in North Austin began with a verbal argument at the motel’s front desk and ended with a 56-year-old man dying six days later. A homicide news release issued May 15 identified the victim as Se Hun Park and the suspect as Sean Walton, 24. Police said officers were first called to the motel at 7:32 p.m. on Friday, May 8, after a report that someone had been shot. Detectives said Walton fled in a vehicle and was arrested two days later in Cibolo. ### Who did police say was killed and who was arrested? The Austin Police Department identified the victim as Se Hun Park, an Asian man born Sept. 7, 1969, in its May 15 release. Police said Park was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the chest when officers arrived at the Budget Inn at 9106 North Interstate Highway 35 southbound. Sean Walton, a 24-year-old Hispanic man, was identified by police as the suspect. APD said Walton was arrested on May 10 by officers with the Cibolo Police Department and remained in custody in Guadalupe County as of the department’s release. ### What did APD say happened at the Budget Inn front desk? APD said the shooting followed a verbal argument between Walton and Park at the front desk of the business. According to the department’s preliminary investigation, Walton then pulled out a firearm and shot Park. (austintexas.gov) The police release did not say what sparked the argument. Fox 7 Austin, citing Austin police, also reported that the cause of the dispute had not been released. ### When did the shooting happen, and when did it become a homicide case? Friday, May 8, is the date police gave for the shooting. (austintexas.gov) APD said officers responded at 7:32 p.m. after a caller reported that a person had been shot at the front desk of the motel. Thursday, May 14, at 6:48 p.m. is when Park died, according to APD. (fox7austin.com) Police said he had been taken to a local hospital for immediate treatment after officers found him wounded, but he later succumbed to his injuries. The department said the case is being investigated as Austin’s 25th homicide of 2026. (austintexas.gov) ### How did police say they found the suspect? Cibolo, Texas, is where Walton was arrested on May 10, police said. APD said an arrest warrant was obtained after investigators identified Walton as the suspect and that several Austin police units and partner agencies worked to locate him after he left the scene in a vehicle. (austintexas.gov) Fox 7 Austin reported the same sequence from the Austin police account: an argument, a shooting at the motel front desk, flight by vehicle, and an arrest in Cibolo two days later. ### What have police not said publicly? APD has not publicly described the motive for the confrontation in its release. (austintexas.gov) The department also did not say in that statement whether Park worked at the motel, beyond saying the shooting happened at the front desk of the business. (fox7austin.com) The City of Austin’s police news page shows the homicide release was posted May 15, one day after Park died. The department’s public statement did not include charging details beyond saying Walton had been arrested and remained in custody. ### What happens next in the investigation? (austintexas.gov) Austin police said the case remains under investigation and asked anyone with information to call 512-974-TIPS. APD also said anonymous tips can be submitted through Capital Area Crime Stoppers by phone at 512-472-8477 or through the organization’s website. (austintexas.gov)