Slain Austin shooter likely had anti-government motive

Slain Austin shooter likely had anti-government motive, After the shooting, police discovered suspicious cylinders in the man's white van parked in front of the police headquarters. Officers also feared that the man's bulky vest might contain explosives and retreated after dragging the wounded suspect across the street.

A bomb squad, using a robot, found no explosives, Acevedo said. The man's Austin home was also searched, police said, KVUE-TV reports.

The police chief said the suspect not only shot up several buildings in downtown Austin, he tried to set the Mexican consulate on fire using several small propane cylinders. The fires were put out before the flames could spread, he said.

The police chief said the suspect's targets indicated that he might have had anti-government motives linked to immigration.

"If you look at the targets, it doesn't take a genius (to suggest) that that is the potential," Acevedo said.

"I would venture that political rhetoric might have fed into some of this, but that is speculation on my part," he added.The gunfire broke out at around 2:20 a.m. local time, police said. The police chief said the city was particularly fortunate that no one was injured, given the normal activiites in downtown Austin.

At the height of the incident, police closed the Interstate highway through downtown Austin.