Seven months after escaping the Target shooting, an Austin mother and daughter navigate trauma, fear and unexpected growth.
Criminal Justice
Get the latest Texas Tribune coverage on criminal justice, including crime, courts, law enforcement, and reforms shaping the state’s justice system.
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Criminal Justice
Texas executes man convicted of killing common-law wife and child
Cedric Ricks, who was found guilty in 2014 of the double murder, is the second inmate the state has executed in 2026.
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Health care
Texas hemp businesses fear an uptick in police raids after more than 15 in the last two years
Attorneys for hemp businesses say the raids have hurt their revenue and reputation, while police said they’re necessary to root out products with illegal levels of THC.
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Criminal Justice
Court documents reveal domestic violence history of Austin shooting suspect
A court-documented history of family violence didn’t bar the suspected West Sixth Street attack suspect from owning guns under Texas law.
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Criminal Justice
Austin downtown shooting: What we know about the gunman, victims and motive
Three people were killed and 13 wounded in a West Sixth Street attack. Police say the shooter fired from an SUV before getting out and continuing on foot.
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Criminal Justice
Third victim of downtown Austin shooting dies
The three people killed by the suspected gunman were identified Monday. Thirteen people were injured in the Sunday shooting that the FBI called a “potential act of terrorism.”
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Criminal Justice
DA won’t refer police who killed Austin shooter to grand jury
Travis County District Attorney José Garza faced intense criticism over a policy that would have sent the officers before a grand jury, before he said his office would not seek charges against “heroes.”
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Criminal Justice
Austin police confident in SXSW security plans after West 6th Street shooting
The festival draws hundreds of thousands of people to the city every year. Safety precautions were already designed to address the possibility of mass violence.
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Congress
Ted Cruz leads bipartisan bill that would void and prohibit confidentiality clauses in child sex abuse cases
Known as Trey’s law, the legislation would make any non-disclosure agreement unenforceable if it prohibits or restricts revealing the sexual abuse of a minor or facts related to that abuse.
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Politics
Political fighting pervades Texas politicians’ responses to Austin shooting
Days out from the March primary, Republicans called for changes to immigration law. Democrats repeated their calls for stricter gun laws.