Austin shooting spree: Man recovering after being shot in the back

AUSTIN, Texas - A man is recovering after being shot in the back over the weekend. 

He is one of four people who were injured in a shooting spree across South and East Austin.

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Twin sister talks about her brother's injuries, recovery

What they're saying:

"That night, I woke up just completely panicked and I woke my husband up and I said, please call the ICU and just make sure he's okay," Sean Fuente’s sister, Shannon Swank, said.

It was Sunday night, just hours after she had seen her twin brother lying in a hospital bed.

"I was afraid that they were going to tell me something that I didn't want to hear," Swank said.

Sean Fuentes was walking his three dogs to the park earlier that morning.

"He said that a car sped by him really fast… then the car turned around, stopped beside him, and just started shooting… they basically emptied their gun on him," Swank said.

Fuentes was hit three times, twice in the back and once in the ribs.

"He kind of bear crawled over to the side of the house to try and get away and then once he was sort of tucked around the side of the house, they sped off," Swank said.

She said what kept her brother moving was the voice of his late father, a Marine, in his head.

"He heard my dad’s voice very distinctly saying, it's go time, like you need to go, like you need to get up, you need to get out of the situation," Swank said.

While Fuentes was bleeding, he walked home and called 911. Swank said neighbors rushed out after hearing the gunfire and Fuentes’ dogs took off but were eventually found safe.

At the hospital, Swank said the family learned more from investigators.

"One of the police officers was there and asked us, you know, does Sean have any enemies, which we said, absolutely not, like this guy is the nicest guy you could ever meet and so he said, okay, and he was pretty, he said okay like pretty easily like okay and then he said well this is what we know and he said the day before told us about the shootings the day before and said we're pretty sure this is connected to that," Swank said.

Dig deeper:

A 15 and 16-year-old and 17-year-old Cristian Mondragon were arrested. Mondragon is facing eight felonies and is being held in jail without bond.

For Swank, she said the fact two of the suspects are juveniles does not change the damage done.

"The minute you put your hand on a gun like that and you start shooting people, you cease to become a minor," Swank said.

She said she wants them to be tried as adults and for all three suspects to have attempted murder charges.

"With Sean, they missed his heart by an inch. Like, if they would have hit his heart, he would have died," Swank said.

As her brother continues to recover, she said she still wonders why anyone would do this.

What you can do:

Swank has set up a GoFundMe to help her brother's recovery and support his family during this time.

To donate, click here or follow the link below.

3 teens arrested for Austin shooting spree

The backstory:

During a press conference, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said a string of shootings, vehicle thefts and robberies happened across South and East Austin from May 16 and 17.

APD said at least 12 separate shootings are being investigated. The shootings struck apartment buildings, homes, businesses and two Austin Fire Department stations.

Authorities said the 17-year-old, Cristian Mondragon-Fajardo, had an active warrant for stealing a firearm from the same store where the 15-year-old allegedly stole another gun Saturday. Investigators believe the suspects stole more than four vehicles during the spree and may have switched vehicles multiple times.

Detectives believe the incidents were a mix of random and target shootings.  The suspects knew some of the victims, APD said.

Investigators do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public related to these incidents.

APD said over the course of all 12 shootings

• Four people were injured. Three victims had non-life-threatening injuries, and one victim had critical injuries and was taken to the trauma center.
• Five cars were hit by gunfire
• Four homes were hit by gunfire
• Two Austin Fire Departments were hit by gunfire
• Three Austin Fire Department trucks were hit by gunfire
• At least five cars were stolen
• One gun was stolen

APD said several investigative resources were used throughout the investigation.

At this time, investigators are still processing evidence, including shell casings, surveillance footage, stolen vehicles, and digital evidence. 

Crime and Public SafetyAustin