Austin library shooting: Woman inside the building shares experience

Austin library shooting: Woman shares experience

A woman who was inside the Austin Central Library when shots were fired this weekend is speaking out.

AUSTIN, Texas - A woman who was inside the Austin Central Library when shots were fired this weekend is speaking out.

The suspect is facing multiple charges after police say he shot one person on a bus and then another inside the library.

That suspect remains behind bars at the Travis County Jail at last check.

Woman shares experience

Local perspective:

One woman was just one floor below the shooting when she says she was told to evacuate.

For Sarah Gilson, spending time there is nothing new.

The Austinite, who creates reading content on social media, says libraries have always been a safe space for her.

"I have always gone to the library. I remember walking home from elementary school and waiting to get picked up at the library. It's always been a very safe and important place for me. I don't think there's been a time in my life where I didn't have a library card, said Gilson.

But that sense of safety quickly changed.

"A library staff member walked up and said, 'hey, there's a situation happening on the floor above us.' We are evacuating the library. So go on and get out of here," said Gilson.

Gilson’s video sharing the experience has since gained more than 70,000 views online.

"I'm still. Definitely going to be accessing the libraries. And I don't want this one incident to be a reflection on the libraries. I think that was something that I really wanted to drive home in my original TikTok video about it is that, like, libraries do so much good for the communities," said Gilson.

Austin library shooting

The backstory:

Just one floor above, police say 55-year-old Harold Keene opened fire inside a bathroom, shooting Nicolas Berry in the wrist. Berry told officers Keene was upset about people closing the bathroom doors.

Court documents revealed Keene intended to shoot all three men in the bathroom and even picked up a shell casing from the floor after firing.

"Like this is not no trick or treat. Like this is no Halloween, I'm not playing with you guys. Like he just shot me for no particular reason," said Berry.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Austin library shooting: Victim speaks out

The victim in Saturday's shooting at the Austin Central Library is now speaking out. And, new details revealed the suspect was involved in another shooting hours before.

Investigators say before the library shooting, Keene pointed a gun at a woman and child on a CapMetro bus, then shot another passenger.

Others claimed to see him eating what appeared to be a bag of meth.

"I think when you add in the fact it happened at a public library, a space that is like a pillar of the community, and it's supposed to be a safe, resourceful place for people of all backgrounds to be able to access, that is, that's what's probably the most disheartening about it," said Gilson.