By Chelsey Zhu and Gabriel Velasquez Neira
The Austin Police Department has recommended that the 17-year-old suspect in the May string of shootings across Austin be charged with terrorism, a first-degree felony.
An affidavit filed Monday in Travis County’s 331st Criminal District Court said police believe Cristian Fajardo Mondragon’s actions were intended to intimidate people and hinder government operations.
“These actions created a substantial risk of death and serious bodily injury to members of the public and were [reasonably] calculated to generate widespread fear, alarm, and disruption within the community,” the affidavit said.
There were a total of 13 shootings over the course of May 16 and 17 — 12 were initially reported by APD before the Buda Police Department announced an additional shooting was connected. Police said the suspects stole multiple vehicles, shot about 149 rounds across the crime scenes, injured five people and prompted shelter-in-place orders as police worked to arrest them, the affidavit said.
Four people were shot and one was hit by glass shards from a windshield while she was sitting in her car.
