Police in Texas said they were seeking a person of interest in an overnight shooting that that left a young woman dead and four others injured.
The Austin Police Department said it was seeking 24-year-old Endicott McCray in connection with the shooting, which began shortly after 2.15am local time, in an area filled with bars and nightclubs.
Police warned people to avoid the area, tweeting: "Active shooter incident downtown, multiple victims. Stay away from downtown."
A woman in her 20s was killed, authorities said. They have not named any of the victims, three of whom were treated at a hospital while the fourth was treated at the scene and released.
It was unclear whether the shooter knew any of the victims.
At a press conference, Austin Police Chief of Staff Brian Manley said that when officers arrived they found "a very chaotic scene".
There appeared to have been a disturbance during which an individual pulled out a gun and fired into a crowd, he said.
A second shooting nearby was apparently unrelated. No one was hurt.
Sam Vedamanikam, 26, told the Austin American-Statesman newspaper that he and several friends were leaving a night club when they heard four or five gunshots.
"There were just tons of people on Sixth Street and I see all of them jump toward the ground," Mr Vedamanikam said. "A lot of people were screaming."
Recent acts of gun violence
The shootings in the Texas state capital follow several recent major acts of gun violence in the United States.
On 12 June, a gunman who sympathised with Islamist extremist groups killed 49 people at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.
On 7 July, a US military veteran shot and killed five police officers in Dallas in the deadliest day for US law enforcement since the 11 September 2001 attacks.
Just over a week later another gunman killed three officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The attackers in all three incidents were killed by police.
Austin, whose downtown area is known for its lively music scene, has a population of more than 900,000.
