Ethan Nieneker, the man suspected of killing three people outside a Target store in North Austin this week, had repeated run-ins with law enforcement in the past decade for alleged assault, according to police and court records KUT News obtained from Travis and Williamson counties.
The records reveal at least two girlfriends and one roommate accused Nieneker of violently attacking them, including strangling and punching, but that he appears to have spent little time behind bars over the years.
Austin Police said Nieneker also had two reports for an emotionally disturbed person in 2018, raising questions about breakdowns in the system to protect him and others. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis has acknowledged Nieneker’s history should have raised red flags.
“This man had some serious issues,” Davis said during a Tuesday press conference. “There were some serious failures here on behalf of, you know, many, when you’re looking at potentially some mental illness there.”
Nieneker is accused of killing Target employee Rosa Martinez Machuca, Adam Chow, and Chow’s 4-year-old granddaughter in what Davis called a “random attack” in a Target parking lot in North Austin on Monday afternoon. He is being held in Travis County jail on a combined $2.5 million in bond, charged with three counts of murder. Police say additional charges may be forthcoming.
Travis County has ordered a mental health evaluation to determine whether Nieneker is fit to stand.
Mental health expert Greg Hansch saw parallels between this case and that of Shane James, the man accused of killing six people in a violent spree across San Antonio and Austin in late 2023. James was eventually deemed competent to stand trial. His case is pending in federal court.
“These are people who seem to be slipping through the cracks of the mental health system and also the criminal court system,” said Hansch, the executive director of the Texas arm of the National Alliance of Mental Illness Texas. “They are not getting the interventions that they need to protect themselves and protect others.”
Nieneker’s 2015 cases
Nieneker’s yearslong pattern of alleged violence and encounters with law enforcement goes back to at least 2012, according to court records. That year, Nieneker was convicted of marijuana possession, a misdemeanor.
Williamson County court records show he was sentenced to two days in jail.
Three years later, in July 2015, Nieneker was arrested after his then-girlfriend said he assaulted her inside a Cedar Park home. According to a police affidavit filed in Williamson County, the woman said Nieneker hit her head against the wall, pulled her hair out and repeatedly punched her in the arm.
Police reported finding blood on the walls and a long chunk of hair on the floor.
Nieneker also reportedly broke furniture, mirrors, doors and several other items, causing $142,174 in damages, according to a different police affidavit.
“The Defendant got intoxicated and intentionally physically damaged multiple items in the residence,” the record stated.
Nieneker pleaded guilty to a criminal mischief charge related to the vandalism, according to Williamson County court records. He was also charged with family violence assault based on the allegations from his then-girlfriend, but the charge was dismissed and he was released on bond.
A month later, in August 2015, Nieneker was arrested again after Austin Police responded to a call of a suspicious vehicle in Northwest Austin. The officer dispatched to the scene found Nieneker sleeping in the back seat and the same girlfriend in the passenger seat with a burst blood vessel near her right eye and heavy swelling and bruising on her face, according to a police affidavit filed in Williamson County.
The girlfriend told the officer the couple were living in the car together. She accused Nieneker of punching her in the face several times and also said she fell down the stairs earlier in the night, but was unsure if Nieneker pushed her.
Nieneker was charged with family violence assault and pleaded guilty. That charge was again dismissed because he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor driving while intoxicated charge, Williamson County court records show. He was released on bond.
Nieneker’s 2016, 2019 cases
In May 2016, a different girlfriend called the police reporting that Nieneker pushed her down and squeezed her hand “really hard.” Later, she said Nieneker punched and shattered the windshield of her car, according to a police affidavit filed in Travis County.
In the girlfriend’s written statement to police, she said Nieneker previously told her, “I know how to hurt someone and not leave marks.”
Later that month, the same victim reported Nieneker pushed her to the ground and choked her, according to a police affidavit filed in Travis County. She told the responding officer that she lost consciousness and wasn’t sure what made him stop. The officer who arrived on scene recorded that Nieneker had red, glassy eyes and could barely maintain his balance.
This time, Nieneker pleaded guilty, Travis County records show.
Nieneker was booked into the Travis County Jail in 2016 on the charges listed in Williamson County, according to county officials. He was released from custody in late January 2017.
During this time period, he served time intermittently for violating probation, according to court and jail records.
Then, in December 2019, Nieneker allegedly punched his then-roommate in the face after getting into a verbal argument about playing loud music, according to a police affidavit filed in Travis County. The officer said Nieneker slurred his words and had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. He was again charged with assault, but court records show the case was later dismissed because the victim could not be contacted.
We are not naming either former girlfriend because they were the victims of alleged domestic violence. KUT News reached one of the women, who declined to comment.
Where did he get the gun?
Austin Police said Nieneker obtained the firearm he allegedly used in the shooting from a family member, according to police, who are still investigating whether that person will be held liable. Generally, people convicted of domestic violence cannot legally possess firearms under federal law.
APD Sgt. Nathan Sexton said the department does not know the motive for the shooting, but said that Nieneker told police that “he was Jesus.”
A coworker who asked not to be named for fear of being fired told KUT News that Nieneker said on Saturday that he had not eaten in several days to become closer to his “higher power.” The coworker said Nieneker abruptly left his shift that day to attend a Bible study.
A different coworker provided KUT News with a group message they said Nieneker sent early Sunday morning.
“The Truth prevails,” the coworker said Nieneker wrote, “Let me Help you Be set Free from Your Self <3.”
Clarification: A previous version of this story stated that Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said Nieneker had been placed on emergency holds. The department now says he was not placed on an emergency hold or committed.
