AUSTIN, Texas – Austin police along with federal investigators continue to probe the four residential package explosions that have claimed two lives and injured four others.
The first explosion took place before 7 a.m. on March 2 when a package exploded on the front porch of a house on Haveford Drive, located just east of Interstate 35 in North Austin.
The victim, 39-year-old Stephan House, was taken to St. David’s Round Rock where he died about 8 a.m.
Austin police said the package was left with the intention to hurt or possibly kill someone.
The second explosion took place on March 12 around 6:50 a.m. at a home located on Oldfort Hill Drive, which is near East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in East Austin.
This blast, which occurred in the home’s kitchen, claimed the life of 17-year-old Draylen Mason. The explosion also injured his mother.
Hours later, around noon on March 12, a third package exploded at a home on Galindo Street in East Austin.
A 75-year-old Hispanic woman was severely injured when she picked up a package from her front porch. She was last listed in critical but stable condition at Dell Seton Medical.
The fourth explosion occurred on March 18 around 8:42 p.m. on the 4800 block of Dawn Song Drive.
A 22-year-old man and a 23-year-old man were walking down a neighborhood road when they apparently tripped an explosion.
This explosion differed from the others, because, according to Interim Police Chief Brian Manley, what was most likely a tripwire detonated the device.
Manley urged anyone in the Travis Country neighborhood who may have surveillance footage from Sunday to reach out to APD at 512-974-5210 so that investigators can review it.
A total of 340 special agents are now in Austin investigating.
Austin police continue to say that the incidents appear to be related but couldn’t report if the attacks were random or targeted. Police have not identified a suspect or suspects.
A person is injured after a package en route to Austin exploded at a Schertz FedEx processing plant just after midnight on March 20.
A medium sized package exploded on a conveyer track. Inside the package was metal shrapnel and nails.
