A 20-year-old man dressed like a zombie allegedly stabbed two people at an Austin, Texas, coffee shop on Wednesday night, according to police.
“On Wednesday, October 28, at approximately 8:54 p.m., Austin Police (APD) responded to a Disturbance hot shot inside a business at 1505 Town Creek Drive,” Austin Police told Global News in a statement.
“Officers and Austin Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS) arrived at the scene and located two victims with stab wounds,” police added.
Austin Police said ATCEMS transported both victims to a local hospital, one with life-threatening injuries and the second with non-life-threatening injuries. Their current status is stable.
Additional officers searched the area, located and arrested a suspect on a walking trail near the Rosewood Avenue and Chestnut Avenue area.
“The suspect, later identified as Shankar Temple Grace, was booked into the Travis County Jail,” police said, adding that they can confirm Grace was wearing a Halloween costume.
Grace was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
In an Instagram post on Friday, the owners of Buzz Mill Coffee, where the incident took place, wrote, “For the last 13 years Buzz Mill has served as a beacon for the Southshore District. From our humble beginnings to where we stand now, my wife Kiki and I have always understood that it was our people and our community that they serve that makes us who we are today.”
“Thru (sic) the last 48 hours that beacon has illuminated more than ever the path that we have navigated as a family and as a community in regards to a tragic event that transpired Wednesday night at our weekly comedy show,” the owner’s Jason and Kiki Sabala continued.
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The owners said they are “blessed to be able to say that everyone involved is on a road to recovery and is looking to fully recover, however long that road may be.”
They also thanked the community for the outpouring of support and love that they have shown following Wednesday night’s incident.
“Many narratives and stories surround this incident. Rather than dispel each narrative individually at this time, we simply would like to let the community know our team is safe, and we will continue to serve them as more answers unfold,” the coffee shop owner’s added.
Jason Sabala told CBS Austin that Grace arrived at the coffee shop on Wednesday for their weekly comedy show but he had asked him to dispose of an outside alcoholic drink.
“Under TABC rule, we had to ask him to throw it away or leave,” Sabala told the outlet. “And he decided he wanted to head out towards the back of the property.”
He said when Grace walled through a set of doors to the back patio area, he grabbed a knife and stabbed two people, a security guard and an employee working sound for the show.
Sabala also said that Grace often wears costume-like makeup.
“He’s always dressed in makeup,” Sabala said. “Sometimes it’s in clown makeup. Evidently, last night, it was in zombie makeup. But he dresses like that on a normal basis.”
Sabala said that Grace had attended multiple shows at the venue before Wednesday night.
“He’s been through here on multiple shows. There’s never been any instances of APD being called. There’s never been any instances with security being called,” Sabala added.
Buzz Mill Coffee shared GoFundMe links for Brian Mason and Patric Tester, who were both stabbed on Wednesday night.
“Two of my coworkers were violently attacked by an unwelcome visitor who had been asked to leave the premises. Brian, who was working security, stepped in to help de-escalate the situation and protect those around him,” the GoFundMe description for Mason read.
“During the incident, he was stabbed multiple times. Brian was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, where he underwent a blood transfusion and emergency surgery to repair a wound to his neck. He is currently in the trauma intensive care unit. Thankfully, he is now stable and beginning to recover,” the description added.
The GoFundMe, set up by Mason’s co-worker, said that the full extent of Mason’s medical expenses is still unknown but between “the ambulance ride, emergency surgery, blood transfusions, ICU stay, continued medical treatment, rehabilitation, and time away from work, the costs will quickly add up.”
Mason’s GoFundMe fundraiser has raised more than $17,000 of its $20,000 goal from more than 100 donations as of Friday afternoon.
Mason’s fundraiser also shared a link to a GoFundMe for Tester, adding that “Patric also deserves our support during this difficult time.”
“Yesterday, Patric was stabbed while attempting to pull the assailant off of a friend and coworker. While Patric’s injuries aren’t life threatening, he isn’t out of the woods yet. He was rushed to a near by hospital, where he is currently in stable condition and receiving medical care,” Tester’s GoFundMe description read.
The fundraiser description says donations will help cover emergency room and hospital expenses, treatment for injuries, surgery and medications, rehabilitation and ongoing medical care, as well as lost income and essential living expenses.
Tester’s GoFundMe fundraiser has raised more than $21,000 of its $26,000 goal from more than 200 donations as of Friday afternoon.
Source: globalnews.ca
