Police have provided new information about the suspected Austin serial bomber, who reportedly killed himself by detonating an explosive device as the police closed in.
Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters near the scene that agents were following the suspect’s vehicle when he pulled to the side of the road and detonated a bomb.
Austin Police Chief Brian Manley speaking to reporters after a sting operation culminated in the death of the suspected serial bomber.(CBC – Raw Videos)“The suspect is deceased and has significant injuries from a blast that occurred from detonating a bomb inside his vehicle,” Manley told reporters.
Manley said the suspect was white, but declined to provide his name.
Earlier coverage by AP revealed that the suspect was 24 years old.
The suspect was captured on CCTV cameras dropping off parcels at a Fed-Ex store. (CBC – Raw Videos)“We cannot name the suspect at this time because he has not been positively identified yet by the medical examiner and next of kin have not yet been notified,” Manley said, Reuters reported.
In previous Epoch Times coverage, it was reported the suspect died after he “detonated device, shots were fired.”
“As members of the Austin Police Department SWAT team approached the vehicle, the suspect detonated a bomb inside the vehicle knocking one of our SWAT officers back and one of our SWAT officers fired at the suspect as well,” Manley told reporters.
The police chief also urged vigilance as other packages containing bombs could still be out there.
“This is the culmination of three very long weeks for our community, and throughout these weeks we’ve talked about the importance of remaining vigilant and looking out for each other. I want to continue that message as we stand here this morning, though, because we don’t know where this suspect has spent his last 24 hours and therefore we still need to remain vigilant to ensure that no other packages or devices have been left through the community.”
The authorities used cell phone technology, security video, and store receipts to identify the suspect, MailOnline reported. Also, information from Google and the man’s computer history connected him to the crimes.
Law enforcement personnel investigate an incident that they said involved an incendiary device in the 9800 block of Brodie Lane in Austin, Texas, U.S., March 20, 2018. (Reuters/Loren Elliott)The unnamed man was suspected of delivering six homemade bombs to locations around Austin, Texas, this month, killing two people.
Police reportedly “engaged” the suspect around 3 a.m. on Wednesday morning, hours after CBS published security video showing the suspect at a Fed-Ex office in Austin.
The video footage shows a man wearing a baseball cap and what appears to be a wig and gloves, carrying packages into the shipping point around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 18.
The suspect captured on CCTV cameras at a Fed-Ex store. (CBC – Raw Videos)
(CBC – Raw Videos)
(CBC – Raw Videos)One of the packages later exploded at a Fed-Ex sorting facility outside of San Antonio in Schertz. The second was located near Austin airport and confirmed to contain a bomb.
Officials did not immediately say whether they believed the device that exploded in Schertz was the work of the “serial bomber,” but warned that the latest bomb had a more sophisticated design than the others.
They also did not give an address for the package, which was filled with nails and shrapnel.
The first two bombs killed black men and investigators believed that the third, which injured a Latina woman, may have been intended for a black family’s home, police said, raising the possibility they were hate crimes.
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