This browser does not support the Video element.
Police investigating downtown Austin shootings
Austin police are investigating two separate shootings in downtown Austin that happened just about 30 minutes apart early Sunday morning.
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin police are investigating two separate shootings in downtown Austin that happened just about 30 minutes apart early Sunday morning.
Rainey Street shooting
The backstory:
On Sunday, July 26, around 1:30 a.m., police said a man was shot on Rainey Street. He had non-life-threatening injuries.
So far, no one has been arrested.
Austin Rainey Street shooting leaves 1 hospitalized, sends crowds fleeing
One person was hospitalized and a suspect remains at large after a shooting in a popular Austin entertainment district.
Local perspective:
Merari Conde walks Rainey Street with her dog, Bella, almost every day.
"Everything has just bloomed," Merari Conde said. "…and I can see the changes every day."
She lives just around the corner and said after years of ups and downs, "Rainey Street is back."
She said she started seeing something she hadn’t in years; long times outside bars, and a mix of college students and professionals returning to the area.
What surprised Conde was she was on Rainey Street when the shooting happened.
"I didn't see anything at all, so no, I didn't even see crime scene tape or anything. I didn't see cops. I didn't see anything. So I was very surprised to go to find out, wake up Sunday morning and find out that there was a shooting," Conde said.
Even so, she said the violence won’t keep her away.
"I feel safe. I still feel safe going down to the bars," Conde said.
Trinity Street shooting
The backstory:
About 30 minutes earlier, on Sunday, July 26, just before 1 a.m., police said officers heard gunshots coming from a parking garage on Trinity Street, then saw cars quickly leaving the garage. Investigators said multiple rounds were fired, but no one was hit.
Jefferson David Guzman Barrera, 17, was arrested after trying to hide a gun inside a car. A 16-year-old was also arrested after trying to run away. Officers said he had a handgun with an extended magazine on him and inside the car he was driving was another handgun.
2 teens arrested, 3 handguns seized after downtown parking garage shooting
Two teenagers were arrested and three handguns were seized after a shooting at a parking garage on Trinity Street over the weekend.
Local perspective:
For Conde, the two shootings aren’t enough to change her plans.
"There are guns everywhere, to be honest. It doesn't necessarily have to be West Six or Sixth Street or Rainey Street, it is pretty much the people that you hang out with or the problems that you're causing. Honestly, everybody in Texas pretty much carries a gun, so it doesn't really depend on the place, it depends on the circumstances, I think," Conde said.
Conde said she hopes one weekend of violence doesn’t overshadow what she believes is a new chapter for the district.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis