In a gut-wrenching rampage outside a Target in North Austin, a despicable loser, 32-year-old Ethan Blaine Nieneker, unleashed unhinged terror that left a store employee, a grandfather, and his four-year-old granddaughter dead. And if his sadistic cruelty didn’t already mark him as the lowest of the low, police say he made the little girl watch him murder her grandpa before killing her in the back seat of a car.
It all started on Monday afternoon when Nieneker, wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt, allegedly gunned down 24-year-old Target worker Hector Leopoldo Martinez Machuca in the parking lot. Witnesses say he then turned on 65-year-old Adam Chow, shooting him in front of the child and wounding Chow’s wife. Officers say he then callously executed the little girl, ending her short life in the most horrifying way possible.
UPDATE: The suspect in yesterday’s triple homicide has been identified as Ethan Nieneker, White male, 32 years of age. pic.twitter.com/8fYjGGEuyq
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) August 12, 2025
After the killings, police say Nieneker stole the Chows’ vehicle and fled. He crashed it shortly after, then allegedly stole another car from a nearby Volkswagen dealership and continued his chaotic flight through the city. The pursuit stretched 18 miles, with Nieneker crashing again, attempting to hijack other vehicles, and at one point stripping off all his clothes. By the time police caught up to him, he was naked, clutching a Bible, and acting erratically near a portable toilet. Officers tased him before taking him into custody.
His freshly released booking photo shows cuts and bruises on his face, a stark contrast to the grinning, bizarre images pulled from his social media, where he posed with friends, peered over a large brown leaf, wore an American flag as a bandana, and even posed in a mask next to a trash bin.
Police Chief Lisa Davis said Nieneker has a history of mental illness and a long rap sheet dating back to 2011, including domestic violence, assault, DWIs, criminal mischief, and violating protective orders. Despite repeated arrests, he was somehow still out walking free before this week’s carnage.
AUSTIN MAN who killed 3 — including a child — in Monday’s Target parking lot shooting had a long, violent record in Travis & Williamson counties.
Ethan Blaine Nieneker’s Record:
TRAVIS COUNTY:
• 2016 felony assault (family violence, repeat offense) → reduced to misdemeanor,… pic.twitter.com/iu3KTNAhZ0— Austin Justice (@AustinJustice) August 12, 2025
Shoppers and workers described scenes of panic as the gunfire rang out. One Target employee said staff ran through the aisles, warning customers to get out. At a nearby Jiffy Lube, workers locked their doors and watched as people sprinted away from their cars. “I had just gotten back from the Target like a minute before,” one mechanic said.
Nieneker is now facing multiple counts of capital murder, including the killing of a person under the age of 10. Authorities have not disclosed a motive, and the attack appears to have been random.
UPDATE: Photos of Austin’s alleged Target killer, Ethan Nieneker, posted several (5-7) years ago. https://t.co/ovR7YnSz3a pic.twitter.com/jFfs0zHU53
— Austin Justice (@AustinJustice) August 12, 2025
Target said it was devastated by the violence and would be offering grief counseling to employees. “Our hearts are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, our team in Austin and all those impacted by this tragedy,” the company said in a statement.
Police continue to investigate, but for the families of the victims, the damage is irreparable, and for Nieneker, the rest of his life will likely be spent behind bars where, many would argue, he belongs.
