Texas deputies confronted but didn’t arrest fatal shooting suspect in August, a month before new law

Published December 7, 2023 5:15 PM

By JIM VERTUNO and ACACIA CORONADO
Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A man suspected of killing six people earlier this week in a shooting rampage across central Texas was confronted by police in August. Officers encountered Shane James Jr. during a mental health crisis and could have arrested him on a violation for cutting off an ankle monitor. Instead, they left him with his family, where he was barricaded in his room. A new state law that went into effect Sept. 1 made cutting off an ankle monitor a state jail felony. Had it been in effect, officers likely would have pulled him from his room and arrested him. James’ parents are among the six people killed Tuesday.

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