Ethan Nieneker, the Texas 32-year-old accused of killing three at an Austin Target, allegedly claimed to be “Jesus,” saying that he “killed these people out of love” and that he shot them to “save us all.”
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As reported by KXAN, the incident occurred on August 11, 2025. At around 2 p.m., the Austin Police Department responded to a shooting at a Target located on Research Boulevard.
Upon arrival, three people were found having suffered gunshot wounds in the store parking lot. An arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the outlet detailed that 40 fired cartridge cases were found in the area.
It is alleged that Nieneker fatally shot Rosa Martinez, a 20-year-old Target employee, after approaching her from behind. Fox 7 reported, citing the same affidavit, that Nieneker then allegedly killed Adam Chow, 65, and his 4-year-old granddaughter, Astrid Fung, during a carjacking. The document detailed that Chow attempted to shield the girl from the shots.
Following the alleged carjacking, Nieneker is accused of assaulting others and stealing a second vehicle. This, eventually, ended with a multi-vehicle crash. Then, at around 3 p.m., police found a naked Nieneker on Montclaire Street, tased him after failing to comply, and arrested him.
‘I Realized I Was Jesus’
After his arrest, as per the affidavit, Ethan Nieneker allegedly admitted to the fatal shooting, saying that he “shot them both, because I’m Jesus.”
“I realized I was Jesus, and I had to grab my gun and shoot a couple of people to save us all,” Nieneker allegedly said. “I killed these people out of love, not out of hate.”
Nieneker added, according to the affidavit, that he needed to “kill a couple of people to set everyone free. “It was just random, I guess,” he allegedly added. “It was like I was just trying to get anyone I could.”
During a press conference, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis stated that Nieneker had “some serious issues.”
The outlet reported Nieneker’s criminal record. He has been charged multiple times with family violence assault. In one instance, he pleaded guilty in 2016 to pushing and choking his then-girlfriend.
Ethan Nieneker has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, capital murder by terror threat, and capital murder of a person under 10 years of age.
A GoFundMe was set up to support the Chow Fung family through this extremely difficult time.