Why Austin police say they did not send an active shooter alert during shooting rampage
The Austin Police Department responded to concerns from members of the public who questioned why officials did not send out emergency alerts amid Tuesday's string of killings and shootings in Austin.
"I don't know how it works, but I don't understand why we didn't get a manhunt text or something saying, 'Stay in your homes,'" said Claire Mead, a resident of the Circle C neighborhood in South Austin where two people were killed.
Several Circle C residents told the American-Statesman they received no form of official communication while the situation was unfolding, but they wished they had received a text message regarding the situation. Some said they relied on neighborhood text threads and Facebook groups to receive information.
Timeline: Gunman kills parents, drives to Austin and kills 4 others in shooting rampage
Austin mass shooting 'not an active shooter event'
Police said an active shooter alert, which was established by state law, was not sent out to residents because Tuesday's incidents were "not an active shooting event."
"This was a series of events which took place in several different locations across the city with various or unknown motives and no specific commonality," the statement said. "It is not common practice for APD, or any other law enforcement agency, to issue any sort of alert for every shooting that happens in their jurisdiction with an unidentified shooter."
More: Austin police identify young mother, man killed in South Austin shooting rampage
Police arrested Shane James Jr. on Tuesday not far from the Circle C Ranch neighborhood after he allegedly shot and injured an officer at the home where the bodies of two people were found. James' arrest came after shootings near Northeast Early College High School, in a South Austin neighborhood and in the Circle C area, all of which police said James was responsible for committing. Before coming to Austin, police said, James killed his parents at their home in San Antonio.
Investigators began to consider that the first shooting in Austin at a high school and then a double homicide that happened in South Austin later that afternoon Tuesday were connected, but by that time, the final killings Circle C took place, the Austin Police Department said in a press release Wednesday.
"An important thing to note, these incidents did not take place in one specific area of Austin, and the initial evidence we had did not show any similarities," the statement read. "The Austin Police Department takes the safety of our community seriously, but we must do our due diligence to ensure the information we share is done in a timely and accurate manner."
The Austin Police Department said a "Blue Alert," sent when a law enforcement officer is in danger or has been killed, was not issued because the alerts require "some sort of actionable intelligence" and that "merely sharing that an officer was shot does not give the community anything to 'look out for' or action items to take to be safe."
Texas representative questions why alert was not sent amid Austin shootings
Texas state Rep. Vikki Goodwin, whose district includes Circle C, questioned why an alert wasn't sent Tuesday, stating that she got in touch with the Texas Department of Public Safety after the shooting at the high school.
"The failure to use the alert system raises questions," Goodwin said in a press release sent Wednesday. "There were multiple points in time throughout the day when the alert might have been relevant and might have saved lives.
"Understandably, law enforcement doesn’t want to unnecessarily cause a panic in a community, however that concern must be balanced with the notion that an alert may cause people to change their behavior. An alert might cause people to stay off the streets, to keep a closer eye on strangers, be ready to dial 911, or watch out for neighbors."
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin police on why active shooter alert wasn't sent amid shooting
