'Similarities' link three package explosions in Austin as possible homicides

Police in Austin, Texas, are investigating three package explosions this month that they believe to be related. Officials said they have identified "similarities" between the incidents, two of which were fatal.

A Monday morning explosion that killed a teenage boy and caused a woman life-threatening injuries was followed just hours later by a second blast, which left a 75-year-old woman in critical condition. On March 2, a man was killed when he picked up a package that exploded.

In a press conference, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said Monday that investigators are treating all three incidents as connected, retroactively upgrading the first incident to be a homicide rather than a suspicious death. The death of the 17-year-old is also being treated as a murder. All of the explosions occurred when residents found packages outside their homes, which Manley says were not delivered by the postal service or companies like UPS or FedEx.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"The evidence makes us believe these incidents are related," he said.

While investigators have not yet determined a motive, officials are looking into the possibility that the blasts were hate crimes, Manley explained. CBS News reports that the victims in the first two incidents were African-American, while the victim in the latest explosion was Hispanic.