On August 11, 2025, a man fired 40 shots in a North Austin Target store parking lot, killing three people. After shooting, he fled the scene and was on the run for almost an hour before police caught him.
During his flight, he attempted several car jackings and assaulted numerous additional victims. He dumped his firearm and all of his clothing in a portable toilet. Police found him walking naked and unarmed. They took him into custody after using a Taser to subdue him.
For more information about the suspect and the event timeline, please read the article at the link below.
Man faces additional charges in deadly shooting outside north Austin shopping center
This case has special significance for me because the Target store that was the scene of his massacre is close to the home of a woman I once dated. I’ve been to that particular store location a couple of times.
Increasingly, active killers tend to initiate their attacks outside in a parking lot similar to the Austin killing mentioned above.
I first identified this trend way back in 2017, writing about active killers commencing their attacks by shooting people outside of the building they are targeting. In that article, I postulated that we would likely see more killers starting their massacres outside before actually making any type of building entry. Unfortunately, my prediction has proven to be true.
While I’ve written several articles about what to do if one is in a building with an attacker firing from the outside, I haven’t provided much advice about what to do if you are in a parking lot where a killer initiates his attack.
After investigating scores of parking lot crimes in my 25 years as a cop, I personally developed a very specific course of action whenever I find myself in any retail parking lot. I thought it might be valuable to share my process to avoid being victimized (or at least catch the attack at its earliest stage). Here are the procedures I use to minimize my risk in public parking lots.
I choose a parking space far away from the store and park nose out for a quicker getaway. Spree killers are looking for a high body count. Where are they most likely to encounter the greatest number of victims? Near the store where everyone parks? Or out on the periphery of the parking lot where you should be parking?
Besides reducing your chances of becoming a victim, parking farther away reduces door dings on your car. It also gives you a little more exercise and helps you increase your daily step count.
Additionally, the farther you park away from the potential attack site, the less likely your parked car will become part of the crime scene.
Following the Austin attack, police told lots of shoppers that they were free to leave, but wouldn’t allow them access to their vehicles. Their cars were parked within the border of the active crime scene investigation and weren’t released until the detectives had thoroughly documented the scene and gathered all of the evidence. In large-scale attacks, that process can take several days.
Before turning my car off, I remove my seat belt and look around. I’m specifically looking for:
– anyone paying attention to me
– anyone aimlessly sitting in a car (in hot climates where tinted windows are common, look for tail lights, front vehicle running lights, or visible exhaust)
– anyone who doesn’t appear to belong in the area
– homeless/transient folks or beggars
While none of those activities is by itself a certain indicator of criminal activity, all merit healthy suspicion and increased observation. Plan your walking path into the store to avoid all of these people.
Then, using a procedure modified from advice given by the founders of Arcadia Cognerati (the originators of the technology that was later detailed in the book Left of Bang), I ask myself a couple questions:
What would “normal” look like in this environment?
In our hurried existence, we often look around, but don’t cognitively process what we see. If we take the time to mentally establish a “normal” baseline of activity, it is easier to detect the anomalies that may indicate a criminal attack.
What is “normal” activity in a retail parking lot?
– Walking to and from the store
– Carrying groceries
– Pushing shopping carts
– Opening car doors/trunks
After establishing the baseline, ask yourself:
“Does everything appear normal?”
Then follow that question up by establishing the opposite.
“If something bad were happening here, what would might that look like?”
In a retail parking lot “bad” might be an active killer attack, a car jacking, a domestic assault/child custody dispute, a fleeing shoplifter, or a drunk/drugged driver plowing into pedestrians. Indicators of those activities could be:
– Gunshots
– Seeing people running
– Anyone with a gun in hand
– Speeding cars and squealing tires
– Police sirens
– People fleeing the store
– Loud screaming
– The sight of blood, smoke, or dead bodies
Look around again and ask yourself:
“Do I see any indicators of something unusual happening?”
It takes about 10 seconds to ask yourself those questions and assess the environment. I stay in the car until I determine everything looks “normal.” If I notice any indications of activity that differs from the normal baseline, I either investigate further or drive away.
I repeat the same questions as I walk out of the store and back to my car. When exiting the store, I add one more question:
“Is anyone following me?“
This is especially important if you have purchased very expensive items (jewelry, large electronic items), picked up prescription narcotics from the pharmacy, or pulled out your wallet to pay with a large amount of cash.
All of these activities attract criminal attention and may set you up for a robbery.
Walk against traffic going to and from your car. Guns aren’t the only tools active killers use to achieve a large body count. Some killers will use vehicle run-down attacks instead.
While there is no guarantee that a killer looking to run over people in a public parking lot will follow the “one-way” signs, if he travels the wrong way through a parking lot, he is likely to encounter another blocking vehicle going the opposite direction before he hits any victims.
Walking while facing oncoming traffic gives you the most advance warning of a vehicle run-down attack. If you see it early enough, you may be able to dodge the offender. You may also be able to detect the driver distracted by texting or scrolling the internet on his phone before he runs you down as well.
Put your bags in a cart rather than carrying them in your hand. I find it faster to abandon the shopping cart in an emergency than it is drop a whole bunch of bags I am carrying in my hands. Additionally, the cart can provide both a barricade and a potential weapon to use against an attacker on foot.
If I do carry a shopping bag, I always carry it in my non-dominant hand. I like to keep my gun hand free for a faster draw should I decide I want to respond with my weapon.
Active killers in parking lots are statistically rare occurrences. You are far more likely to be targeted by more mundane criminal actors. Use these procedures to detect or avoid attacks of any nature at the earliest opportunity. Then decide on your optimal response strategy if you do find yourself under fire from an active killer.
If you follow most or all of these steps, your chances of becoming any parking lot criminal’s next victim will be significantly reduced.
