A quiet Saturday afternoon at the Austin Public Library’s downtown hub turned chaotic when gunshots rang out inside the building around noon. The Austin Police Department (APD) says that shortly after 12:00 p.m., they received reports of a shooting at the Austin Central Library, located at 710 W. César Chávez Street. Officers arrived to find one person suffering a gunshot wound and immediately launched a shelter-in-place order in the area.
The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and listed in serious but stable condition, according to APD. Meanwhile, the shooter had already fled the scene. After an extensive search, APD located and arrested the suspect in South Austin at approximately 1:25 p.m. The shelter-in-place order was lifted shortly thereafter.
APD Assistant Chief Lee Rogers later addressed the media, emphasizing that while the scene was unsettling, this was not an active-shooter incident. He clarified that at this time it appears to involve one suspect and one victim, and no ongoing threat to the public has been identified.
While APD declined to release the shooter’s name in their update, the description broadcast on social media is of a thin Black man wearing a gray hoodie, green shorts layered over black pants, black shoes, and carrying two black bags. Police thank local tips and their own coordination for the swift arrest.
Although earlier versions of the story noted the name “Harold Newton Keene” as the suspect and detailed a lengthy criminal history—including assaults, drug possessions, and threats—those claims do not appear in official APD or major news-agency updates and thus remain unconfirmed. What is clear is that APD’s Major Crimes Division has taken over the investigation, and no motive or connection between suspect and victim has yet been publicly established.
Library staff evacuated patrons safely during the response, and a large emergency presence descended on the area. West César Chávez Street was briefly cordoned off and traffic rerouted during the sweep. Witnesses reported a sudden surge of police lights and people exiting the library in shock. One bystander said: “I was coming back inside and there’s like 50 people kind of coming out through all three doors.”
As the city takes stock of the day’s events, questions are emerging over building security, public-space safety, and how something like this happens in a place meant for study, community and calm. Mayor Kirk Watson posted on social media his gratitude for first-responders and library staff, reminding Austinites that “public spaces and city-owned facilities should be a safe place for everyone.”
The investigation continues. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact APD or Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS. Conversations are already underway about whether additional security measures—such as screening or better surveillance—are needed at community hubs like the library.
