Austin Rainey Street shooting: Victim's brother searches for answers

AUSTIN, Texas - Following a shooting on Rainey Street over the weekend, the victim’s brother is continuing his search for answers about who’s responsible.

Victim's brother speaks out

What they're saying:

It stems back to a shooting on July 26, when around 1:24 a.m., Austin police officers responded to reports of shots fired along Rainey Street. When officers arrived, they found a victim suffering from serious, but non-life threatening, injuries.

"He's a good guy, he's happy all the time. He was with a group of his best friends," said the victim’s brother, wishing to stay anonymous as the investigation continues. 

He told FOX 7 that his brother was out celebrating his own birthday at the time of the shooting. By early Sunday morning, the group he was with had left, and his brother decided to order a ride.

"He left the bars and was waiting on the side of the street near Paseo when a random stranger came up to him and just started talking to him on the other side of the road while he waited for his Uber. They spoke for just a couple of minutes. Almost simultaneously, there was some whispering behind him," said the victim’s brother.

He claims that’s when someone took the hat his brother was wearing. At this point, he says his brother realized the stranger he was talking to was a part of a group.

"He turned to go retrieve his hat, took a couple of steps, and that's when he realized that the person he had been talking to was in a larger group, and one of the members of that group pulled the gun out and started shooting at him," the victim’s brother told FOX 7, saying his brother tried to get the hat back peacefully.

"He turned, not aggressive or anything. He turned like, ‘Okay, give me my hat back. Ha ha, nothing serious, let me go get my hat back.’ And then he got shot."

He says his brother was shot six times. One bullet went into his hand, while two more passed between the bones in his forearm. Another bullet shattered his humerus, while two more went into his back. His brother was taken to a hospital and has already begun a long road to recovery.

"They just did the hand surgery yesterday and tomorrow. They're going to try to repair his upper arm," said his brother.

On Tuesday, APD released images and videos of two teen suspects believed to be involved in what has now been labeled as an aggravated robbery.

"I think those images are from the guy talking to my brother. And then the other guy too. I've talked to some other people, and they believe he was the guy with the gun," said the victim’s brother.

Now one of the family’s main priorities is making sure those responsible are held accountable for what they see as an unprovoked attack.

"It wasn't just a robbery. It was, in my book, closer to attempted murder. It just feels like there's no regard for human life," said the victim’s brother. "People should be okay talking to strangers and hanging out and meet new people downtown and not be worried you'll have someone shoot you a bunch of times for no reason."

The victim’s family is hopeful he will be released from the hospital in about a week, but the healing process is expected to be lengthy.

"His whole life has come to a stop right now, and for the next couple of months, he's going to have to go through rehab."

The victim in this shooting is also wishing to remain anonymous, but his brother tells FOX 7 he may decide to come forward at a later time.