Gunman in Austin, Texas, kills one woman, wounds 3 – officials

(Reuters) – A gunman killed a woman and seriously wounded three others in Austin early yesterday when he shot into a crowd as people streamed out of nightclubs in the Texas capital’s downtown area, police said.

The unidentified gunman opened fire at about 2:15 a.m. local time before fleeing, Austin police chief of staff Brian Manley told reporters. The motive for the attack, which occurred just minutes after bars closed, was not immediately clear.

“It was a very chaotic scene,” Manley said. He described people emerging from clubs and bars running in all directions at the sound of gunfire, as police officers on patrol rushed to the scene.

The gunman killed a woman in her 20s and wounded three other women, who were transported to a local hospital with injuries that are serious but not life-threatening, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services spokesman Mike Benavides told reporters.