Man suspected in two deadly Austin shootings arrested

AUSTIN, Texas - Police believe two deadly shootings that happened in Austin Thursday are connected and say the killings were retaliatory. Friday, they arrested the man they believe is responsible.

Eric Rollins, 51, has been charged with murdering a man on East 6th Street in downtown Austin and is suspected of killing a woman on Webberville Road in East Austin 10 minutes later as retaliation for a robbery that happened earlier that same day.

"So to clarify, it's not certain that the victim that [was killed on Webberville Road] was affiliated with the robbery, but that the intended victim at that location is believed to have possibly been affiliated or associated with the robbery," says APD Lt. Brett Bailey with the Homicide and Aggravated Assault units.

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2 dead following separate shootings in downtown and East Austin

Two people are dead following two separate shootings that occurred downtown and in East Austin on Thursday.

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Police have also not confirmed any direct ties to the E. Sixth Street shooting victims and the robbery at this time.

The second shooting happened in the Springdale neighborhood Chase Wright grew up in. He runs a nonprofit called the Springdale Park Neighbors Association.

Where some of his neighbors with substance abuse and mental health issues were exploited, selling their homes for a just few thousand dollars, now they camp in front of new builds on those same lots.

"People do like to associate with it, like to exploit this area for violence, for drug markets, for all type of reasons," Wright said. "And right now, my job is to try to go ahead and seize that, to make sure that we don't have any more of these incidents happen."