East Austin Shooting: Was the 'Sunday Funday' Target Specific or Random?

Austin Police are still investigating a shooting incident that left at least two people wounded during Sunday's local barbecue street event.

A shooting turned a lively 'Sunday Funday' barbecue into a tragic scene with multiple casualties, prompting immediate speculation over the gunfire's source and the timeline of events. Police said the shooting happened on 26 April in front of Sam's BBQ, located at 2000 E. 12th St., East Austin.

Two people were confirmed injured and rushed to the hospital for treatment, but authorities have yet to confirm the nature of their injuries. The American-Statesman reported the incident as relayed by an Austin Daquiri Factory employee, who heard shots coming from the same street.

Police Investigate Gunman's Motive

Authorities have not established a clear motive, with investigators probing whether the shooter targeted known rivals from the event or fired indiscriminately into the attendees. The gunfire reportedly broke out at around 8 p.m., but it was unclear if the shooting was even related to the party.

After preliminary investigations, the Austin Police Department said 'there is no immediate danger to the public' following the incident. The broader areas of Chicano and Alamo were blocked for hours in the immediate aftermath, while detectives scoured for evidence. The shooter reportedly fled immediately and is still at large, and no suspect has been arrested following the incident.

East Austin 'Resident' Claim One Dead, More Injured

With scarce information about the shooting's timeline, the perpetrator, and the victims, alleged witnesses took to social media to piece together the events. One user claims a third person had been shot, but may have run off before police arrived.

'I live across the street. My husband was home. He heard 4-5 shots. He stayed inside,' the user wrote on Reddit. 'I was out at an event. When I got home, I walked over and talked to several bystanders. They also heard 4-5 shots.'

The user claimed one of the casualties was also shot in the head. 'This was apparently pretty much right in front of Sam's BBQ,' they said. 'Two people I talked to said they heard he died. Two other people said he was still moving when they were loading him into the ambulance.'

Another user said they thought the shots were fireworks, until they heard police sirens. Other commenters pitched in with unrelated experiences that otherwise alluded to the area's alarming crime rate, which is allegedly consistent with other parts of Austin.

'I'd be curious to see stats of central Austin shootings to population over the years,' another user asserted. 'My first thought is that we're just growing into a larger city. Would like to understand the major factors at play when it comes to more frequent shootings.'

One user cautioned everyone in the thread to doubt 'firsthand' accounts by default. 'I used to come to r/austin to read about happenings like this,' They said. 'Then I was part of a 'happening' and saw how much misinformation people spewed as fact. People arguing with me about something I was involved in... learned to take comments with a grain of salt. It was a great lesson.'

Austin Crime on a Downtrend, According to Local Police

Austin's crime rates have steadily declined since the pandemic, KUT reported. Austin Police noted that 2025 brought the trend down to pre-pandemic norms, consistent with the broader, similar trend across the US.

'We have a really strong team there. They're very thorough and they do a phenomenal job,' says Angie Jones, Austin Police Assistant Chief. 'And that gets all of these dangerous felons off the streets.'

Austin's Public Safety website shows annual crime rates had been relatively consistent since 2020, however, ranging between 86,000 to almost 99,000 crime incidents. About 27,000 crimes have been documented as of April 2026.