1 killed, another critically injured in shooting near Arboretum mall in Northwest Austin

One person was killed and another critically injured Thursday by a shooter near The Arboretum, a large outdoor shopping center in Northwest Austin, emergency officials said.

The shooter is also dead, interim Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson said at a news conference Thursday evening. The police chief said the relationship between the shooter and the victims is currently unknown.

Officers responded to 911 calls reporting a shooting in the 10000 block of Research Boulevard, just west of MoPac Expressway, at 5 p.m. and arrived seven minutes later. Henderson said the large emergency response to the shooting was due to initial information indicating the situation involved an active shooter.

Henderson did not give details on exactly where the shooting happened, only that it happened in the area of the shopping center. Austin-Travis County EMS said the deceased and those wounded are all adults.

The bomb squad responded to the scene because of reports of the sound of an explosion, but no explosive device was found, Henderson said. The FBI and ATF also responded to the scene.

Homicide detectives are continuing their investigation. Henderson said there is no ongoing threat to the public.

ATCEMS said two adults had minor injuries and were being evaluated by medics.

The police have asked that anyone with photos or videos of the incident submit them here.

Nearby businesses go into lockdown

Sue Pina was driving into The Arboretum for a friend's retirement dinner at Juliet Italian Kitchen when she saw police cars passing her and heard a helicopter flying low. She was able to get inside the restaurant before staff locked the doors.

"You don't expect it to happen here," Pina said. "You expect it to happen some other place — I don't know why. And it happened."

Pina said she typically avoids public places like shopping centers and restaurants for fear of getting caught in a shooting.

"That has always been my biggest fear — is showing up and there be a shooting. And it happened tonight," she said.

Pina said she texted her adult children to let them know she was OK. "[The restaurant manager] kept the doors locked until it was safe for us to come out," she said.

This is a developing story. Check back for details.