Details on 2018 encounter between APD and man accused of deadly shooting rampage revealed

The man accused of killing six during a shooting rampage last month had told Austin police in 2018 that he was fearful for his life and worried he would be "gunned down" by an unknown person, a police report obtained by the American-Statesman shows.

In March 2018, Shane James Jr. told police he took an Uber from San Antonio to a church in Northwest Austin, the report released Tuesday shows. "James could not articulate why he chose this church,” the officer wrote in the report.

During a news conference after the Dec. 5 shootings, police said officers placed James in "emergency detention" during this 2018 encounter because he was "experiencing suicidal ideations." Police declined to disclose the outcome of the incident in the weeks after the shooting rampage.

Austin police did not follow up with James, then 28, after the incident at the church, the report shows. What actions officers took and the outcome are unclear, as sections of the report detailing those actions are redacted. It’s unclear if James was charged with crimes from this encounter, although the report makes a note of an “offense” that is redacted. There’s no record of any type of charge in Travis County’s record system from the date of the encounter.

Austin police did not respond to questions Tuesday about the report's redactions and the outcome of the incident.

The 10-page report sheds light on one of the earliest interactions with law enforcement James had prior to the shootings on Dec. 5.

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What's in the report

The report notes that officer Robert Broomhall, who also wrote the report, responded to a call at Mosaic Church, 12675 Research Blvd., on March 4, 2018. Broomhall was asked to come to the scene by an officer Williams, whose full name was not listed and who was working at the church on an off-duty assignment.

James had showed up at the church and requested to speak with the pastor, whose name is redacted in the report. James told officers that he took an Uber from Bexar County to this church in Austin, although no prior connection to this church was ever established in the report.

When James arrived at the church, he told them about a woman, later named “Tawny,” who told James while on his way to the church that he was going to be “gunned down.” James could not tell Broomhall any details about his relationship with “Tawny,” how he knew her or who she was, the report states.

Many details of the conversation between Broomhall and James about Tawny were redacted. However, when Broomhall asked some follow-up questions, the report states that James began describing some coins — quarters — in the brim of his hat.

It’s unclear from the report how the quarters were relevant, if at all, to the conversation.

More: A glimpse at Texas shooting suspect's past before deadly San Antonio, Austin rampage

The report notes that while speaking to Broomhall, James appeared to be “calm” and not “anxious” about anything happening around them. Police also found a journal in James' possession, but details about the journal were redacted.

James then said that he needed “protection from certain people,” the report states.

James told officers that he had “no thoughts” of harming whoever was supposedly after him. Although it’s unclear what the officer then asked him, as it’s redacted, the report states, “James hesitated with his response and his eyes began to water.”

The rest of the report only provides snapshots of Broomhall and James’ conversation, which, taken together, leave more questions than answers.

For instance, after the report said that he began crying, the redactions continued until the report stated that something “occurred in February of this year.”

After more redactions, the report said, “I found this statement to be unusual and unlikely since James was 28 years old.” The “unusual and unlikely” statement made by James is not disclosed in the copy of the report provided to the Statesman.

The next paragraph of the report is heavily redacted, with the lines “After speaking with James in length” being the only portion made publicly available.

The final paragraph of the report is also largely redacted. Broomhall said that James needed to speak “more in-depth,” but it was unclear what James needed to speak “in-depth” about and to whom. James stated that “he would be okay,” but the rest of that sentence is redacted.

Police then took James to an undisclosed location “without incident,” according to the report.

A follow-up report filed two days later by another officer states that “it would be up to” an undisclosed person or persons whether further charges would be filed against James. It then states that “no (redacted) follow-up needed at this time.”

Run-ins with law enforcement, previous arrests

James had multiple encounters in the near-decade before the Dec. 5 shootings.

In 2014, during his shortened service in the U.S. Army, military police detained James as part of a domestic violence investigation, a military police report shows. An Army spokesperson said he was never formally charged under military law but declined to elaborate on what actions were taken, citing policies barring the release of personnel information relating to the alleged misconduct.

More: Army investigated shooting suspect years before rampage in Austin, San Antonio area

In 2017, while he was living in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Fort Worth police arrested James on suspicion of trespassing at the Fort Worth Water Gardens. A city gardener told police that James had returned to the park because God told him to. James pleaded guilty and served 10 days in jail, court records show.

James was living with his parents in eastern Bexar County when he traveled to the Austin church in 2018.

People who knew or had interacted with James during this period said he was struggling. Police have said James struggled with mental health. Whether he received specialized care remains unclear.

In early 2022, Bexar County sheriff's deputies arrested James at his home, charging him with misdemeanor assault against his parents and a sibling. James bonded out of jail weeks later; his bond conditions required that he wear a GPS-equipped ankle monitor and receive behavioral and mental health services, court records show.

He cut his ankle monitor and rejected the behavioral and mental health services once out of jail, according to court records. A warrant for his arrest was issued and remained active for more than a year and a half, including when police say he purchased a handgun — the one used in the Dec. 5 shootings — in a private sale and when Bexar County deputies responded to his home three months before the shooting rampage.

Charges against James for the deaths of his parents are forthcoming in Bexar County. On Tuesday, Bexar County sheriff's Deputy Johnny C. Garcia, a sheriff's office spokesperson, said charges have not yet been filed. "The investigation remains ongoing with our homicide unit," he added.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Details on Shane James Jr.'s 2018 encounter with APD revealed