A former sheriff’s deputy was taken into custody Monday after an investigation that began after three people were shot dead in Austin, Texas, authorities said.
Stephen Broderick, 41, was arrested without further incident around 7:30 a.m. along a country road in Manor, an Austin suburb, Manor Police Chief Ryan Phipps said. The suspect had a pistol at his waist, according to Phipps.
Police had received two phone calls about a suspicious person that matched Broderick’s description, Phipps said.
Austin Acting Police Chief Joseph Chacon said Broderick was suspected in the deaths of two women and a man Sunday, all known to the suspect.
While the Elgin Independent School District identified two of the deceased as former students, that data has not been confirmed by police.
Police initially told Austin residents living nearby to take shelter, but withdrew that request later Sunday when they said it was unclear if Broderick was still in town.
Chacón said Broderick was a former officer with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, which is based in Austin.
Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said in a statement that Broderick had been arrested for the sexual assault of a child last June and was released on a $ 50,000 bond. He said the district attorney’s office filed a motion Sunday to revoke that bond.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kristen Dark told the Austin American-Statesman that Broderick was a property crime detective who resigned after the arrest in 2020.
The newspaper also reports that Broderick’s wife filed for a protection order and for divorce shortly after her arrest.