Austin mass shooting: 13 injured, 2 critical after gunfire erupts in downtown entertainment district

A mass shooting in an entertainment district in downtown Austin, Texas, early Saturday morning left at least 13 people wounded, including two in critical condition, police said. 

The incident unfolded around 1:30 a.m. along 6th Street, a popular area filled with bars and restaurants. The street was barricaded to keep out vehicle traffic at the time of the shooting, according to interim Austin police Chief Joseph Chacon. 

"Our officers responded very quickly," Chacon said. "They were able to immediately begin life-saving measures for many of these patients, including applications of tourniquets; applications of chest seals and other types of first aid equipment." 

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It remained unclear what sparked the gunfire. Posts on social media at one time said as many as 16 were shot. 

A manhunt for a suspect was underway. Chacon described the lone suspect as a Black male with a black shirt, skinny build and "dreadlock-type" hair – but told reporters early Saturday that the description wasn’t very detailed "based on the chaotic nature of the incident." 

Investigators wer reviewing surveillance footage and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has been notified, Chacon said. 

Eleven of the injured people were taken to one local hospital, another person was taken to a different hospital, and the other person went to an urgent care facility with gunshot wounds, Chacon said. 

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Chacon also said some officers transported patients to hospitals in their police cruisers due to the nature of the scene, where it was hard to contain the crowd and get ambulances to those who were wounded. 

Authorities asked that anyone with information on the shooting contact police. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.