A deadly string of unsolved bombings in Texas this month was “meant to send a message,” though Austin Police Chief Brian Manley didn’t say what that message was during a Sunday news conference.
Manley said that he hoped the bomber was watching and would “reach out to us before anyone else is injured or killed.”
Package bombings killed Stephen House and Draylen Mason. Both men were African-American members of the same church. House, 39, was killed on the morning of March 2, while Mason, 17, died on the morning of March 12.
Mason’s 41-year-old mother was critically injured in the explosion. Just before noon that Monday, a third bombing critically injured a 75-year-old Hispanic woman, Esperanza Herrera.
And now, hours after Austin police made a public appeal Sunday regarding the aforementioned deadly package explosions in the city earlier this month, they were called to investigate yet another incident in a residential area that caused multiple injuries.
Two men in their 20s were injured Sunday in an explosion on the 4800 block of Dawn Song Dr. They were rushed to the hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.
It is not yet clear whether the incident is related to three package explosions this month that claimed the lives of a 17-year-old high school student and a 39-year-old construction worker, and seriously injured a 75-year-old woman. The explosions have put the Texas community on edge and police continue to urge residents not to handle unexpected packages.
TYT Newsroom with information from NBC News and The Washington Post