Police kill gunman inside posh downtown Austin hotel

[Little Tich]

Source: Yahoo! News / Reuters

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - An early Sunday shootout in the lobby of a swank downtown Austin hotel ended when police killed a man after he apparently randomly gunned down another person, police said.

The shootings at the Omni Austin Hotel, about four blocks from the Texas state Capitol, happened just before 5 a.m. CDT, police said.

A 911 caller reported a man walking around with a gun in the lobby of the hotel, a sleek high-rise with a soaring atrium overlooking the city's historic Sixth Street district, said Assistant Police Chief Brian Manley.

Two minutes later, the caller reported that the man had just shot someone, he said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/police-kill-gunman-inside-posh-downtown-austin-hotel-202443341.html

[onehandle]

1. Gun culture-y. nt

[cosmicone]

2. Another "responsible" gun owner -- at least "responsible" until yesterday! n/t

[freshwest]

3. Open carry gone wrong? Or culling the herd on schedule? n/t

[hack89]

10. Depends on the type of gun. Open carry of handguns is illegal in Texas. nt

[Helen Borg]

4. Another random shooting...

At a posh hotel. I wonder when the rich will start feeling threatened too and some serious anti-NRA lobbying will start...

[valerief]

9. They'll have laws passed to protect *their* venues, like their state legislature did.

You can't bring guns to places where legislators or other state officials might do business.

[Helen Borg]

14. Or where the rich and other "civilized" people gather...

Got it.

[MADem]

5. The names of the gunman and the person he killed near the lobby bar have not been released.

There is no reason to believe they knew each other, Manley said.

What was that about, then? A "hit?" A random act of violence? Mental illness?

So many questions....

[Stuart G]

6. Many in American have gone crazy with guns.

[LeftinOH]

7. But he was an 'open-carry' activist...

until the precise moment he fired his weapon, right?

[hack89]

11. If it was a handgun he was merely a criminal

open carry of handguns is illegal in Texas.

[valerief]

8. Why would someone call 911 to report someone with a gun? I thought in Texas

you could wear gun-trimmed hats, gun-festooned jackets, and gun-toed shoes anywhere you wanted any time you wanted, because, you know, freedumb and America and libertea.

[hack89]

12. Open carry of handguns is illegal in Texas.

just saying.

[Paladin]

13. But...but...but...it was in AUSTIN!

And you smug blue-staters keep assuring we long-time Texas Democrats that Austin is The Only Cool Place In The State.

[valerief]

16. I'm a blue stater but not a smug one. If I'd written that, I'd have gotten

alerted. However, I can easily take an insult from an anonymous intertuber.

I only responded, because you raise a good point. Austin isn't like the rest of Texas.

[They_Live]

15. The article says it was a rifle

not a handgun.

[valerief]

17. When did a rifle stop being a gun? Does a rifle not shoot and kill people

like a handgun? I would think in Texas carrying a rifle would be a sign that one was blessed from god. Or some crap like that.

[They_Live]

18. Meant to reply to hack89

Whoops. Whatev...

[valerief]

20. Ha. Okay. nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. Shooter was a libertarian running for President of the United States

Michael Holt worked in the Capital Factory, which is located in the Omni Hotel building. Officials with the business incubator told FOX 7 that Holt started renting space on May 1st. He was trying to develop a company called Hero Q; a program designed to help charity groups. On Reddit Holt expressed his excitement about his new venture and stated nothing to indicate he was upset with something or someone. On Holt's other social media sights, reviewed by FOX 7, there were no apparent red flags, although he did voice his displeasure about U.S. foreign policy. His blog also could be somewhat technical and rambling. His last posts were done during the spring, about the time he left his job with retailmenot; a digital coupon service. In a statement from that company, Holt was described as a “good person, a talented worker and a caring individual.”

Michael Holt was not just an innovator, he was also a politician. He ran as a libertarian and lost local races for justice of the peace and county clerk. This year Holt went big, he filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission as a candidate for President of the United States.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/29485992/omni-shooter-holt-left-behind-no-red-flags

http://www.fec.gov/fecviewer/CandidateCommitteeDetail.do?candidateCommitteeId=P60007812&tabIndex=3

Victim was a cab driver:

Cab drivers in Austin are mourning the loss of one of their own. Austin Police say Conrad Contreras, 60, was gunned down at the Omni Hotel early Sunday morning.
...
Part of Contreras' routine included stopping at the Omni Hotel where he would pick up trips. That's where police say he was killed by Michael Holt, 35.
...
Two months ago Holt rented desk space at the Capital Factory. The business incubator is located inside the same building as the Omni Hotel. Capital Factory Founder Joshua Baer expressed his condolences for the victims of this senseless tragedy. In a statement issued to FOX 7 he said "I don't believe that this incident had anything to do with Capital Factory or any other members."

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/29485893/austin-yellow-cab-driver-army-vet-murdered-outside-omni-hotel