Austin Target shooting suspect facing five new felonies

AUSTIN, Texas - The man suspected of killing three people outside a North Austin Target over a week ago is now facing five additional felonies.

What we know:

Travis County jail records show that 32-year-old Ethan Blane Nieneker is now facing:

• 2 counts of second-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
• 1 count of second-degree felony robbery
• 1 count of second-degree felony attempted murder
• 1 count of first-degree aggravated robbery

He is already facing two counts of capital murder and one count of first-degree murder for the deaths of 64-year-old Adam Chow, his 4-year-granddaughter and a 24-year-old Target employee Rosa Machuca in the store parking lot at random on Monday, August 11.

He is being held in the Travis County Jail on a collective $3.4 million bond for all eight charges.

What happened at the Target on August 11?

Timeline:

Austin police say that on August 11 at around 2:15 p.m., officers responded to calls of multiple shootings at the Target located at 8601 Research Boulevard.

Officers arrived and found Rosa in the parking lot. Rosa was taken to the hospital where she died from her injuries.

Chow, his wife and their 4-year-old granddaughter were also located in the parking lot.

APD says Chow and his granddaughter were pronounced dead at the scene. Chow's wife suffered only minor injuries.

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Police say that the investigation found that Nieneker randomly attacked Rosa, who was a Target employee, in the parking lot.

Nieneker shot and killed Rosa while she was collecting shopping carts. Nieneker then ran to a black Jeep Cherokee and began firing as the Jeep attempted to evade the gunfire. 

Police say Nieneker then ran up to a gray Toyota 4-Runner where he shot Chow as he sat in the driver seat. He then fired into the backseat, striking Chow's 4-year-old granddaughter. 

Chow’s wife carried their granddaughter from the vehicle and Nieneker pushed her from the vehicle. Nieneker then drove the Toyota from the parking lot at a high rate of speed. 

At approximately 2:20 p.m. Nieneker found a water truck parked alongside the 7800 block of Mopac Expressway. He opened the driver’s door and repeatedly assaulted the driver before pushing him out of the vehicle. 

Nieneker attempted to put the truck into drive but was unable to. He then jumped out of the truck and chased a male with a pistol in his hand before running back to the stolen 4-Runner and drove off.

At approximately 2:25 p.m., APD received the call of a multiple-vehicle crash as the stolen 4-Runner crashed into a Volkswagen before landing on top of an Infiniti SUV. Nieneker exited the vehicle and went over to the Volkswagen, opened the door and repeatedly assaulted the female driver of the Volkswagen. He pushed the female driver of the Volkswagen out and then drove off.

At 2:34 p.m., a suspect matching Nieneker’s description exited the stolen Volkswagen and went up to a Waymo vehicle and attempted to break into it. This failed and Nieneker returned to the stolen Volkswagen and drove away.

At 2:37 p.m., an acquaintance known to Nieneker through bible study reported that Nieneker had thrown a brick through his residence in the 2100 block of La Casa Drive. 

At 2:58 p.m., APD received the call of a naked male walking through a backyard in the 2400 block of La Casa Drive. Nieneker was observed running into a "porta potty" and then leaving on foot. 

Officers located Nieneker walking naked on Montclaire Street. 

Nieneker was issued commands, did not comply, was tased and taken into custody at 3:06 p.m. Officers checked the area, and the matching suspect clothing previously captured on surveillance was located inside the "porta potty".

Ethan Nieneker's alleged confession

What they're saying:

"I have a confession to make. I killed a man and a baby girl today. In Target. In the Target parking lot. I shot them both, because I’m Jesus," Nieneker said after the shooting, according to court paperwork.

According to the arrest affidavit, he said he did not have a mental health diagnosis. He said he had not used any drugs in the past week, or had any alcohol since August 2024.

"I realized I was Jesus, and I had to grab my gun and shoot a couple of people to save us all. I killed these people out of love, not out of hate… I realized that I had to kill a couple of people to set everyone free, so I did it. It was just random, I guess. It was like I was just trying to get anyone I could," Nieneker said. 

According to Nieneker, he was given the gun by a family member. 

He claimed Machuca had "come at me" while she was pushing shopping carts in the parking lot. However, according to the arrest affidavit, surveillance video showed Nieneker approaching her from behind. 

He also told police she had nothing in her hands beside the shopping carts. 

"I just emptied the whole clip randomly. It just seems like a random a** shooting," Nieneker said.

Neineker's criminal history

Dig deeper:

Court records reveal a lengthy criminal history for Neineker, dating back to 2011.

In Travis County in 2016, he was charged with assault of a family member, criminal mischief, and violating a protective order.

A year later he had a DWI and another assault in 2019 where he was accused of punching his roommate. That case was dismissed because prosecutors couldn't find the victim.

The other charges were either reduced or served a few months in jail.

Over in Williamson County, he was charged with marijuana possession in 2011.

In 2015, he was charged with DWI and criminal mischief when he was drunk and broke into furniture, walls, mirrors, and doors, causing about $140,000 worth of damage. That ended in probation.

Neineker also had two family violence assault charges for being accused of punching and hitting his girlfriend's head against the wall. Those were later dismissed.