Austin police respond to 6th explosion, confirm Schertz package bomb connected to 4 others

An FBI official along with an individual stand in the street near a Randall's along Slaughter and Brodie Lanes in South Austin near where an incendiary device caused law enforcement to be alarmed that another bomb had been discovered on Tuesday, Mar. 20, 2018. Officials stated that the device was not linked to the series of bombings that have occurred in Austin that has taken lives and forced the community to be on high alert. less An FBI official along with an individual stand in the street near a Randall's along Slaughter and Brodie Lanes in South Austin near where an incendiary device caused law enforcement to be alarmed that another ... more Photo: Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News Photo: Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 192 Caption Close Austin police respond to 6th explosion, confirm Schertz package bomb connected to 4 others 1 / 192 Back to Gallery

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Austin Police confirmed they are responding to a 6th explosion about 7:20 p.m. Tuesday

A package bomb exploded in a FedEx distribution center in Schertz Tuesday morning.

The person who shipped that package also shipped a second one that was found at an Austin FedEx facility and turned over to law enforcement, officials said.

Police believe the two package bombs found Tuesday morning are connected to four others that have exploded in Austin this month.

Four other explosions in Austin this month have killed two people and seriously injured four.

Authorities continue to urge the public to be vigilant and cautious when handling suspicious packages.

Amid confirmation that two packages containing explosives found in separate FedEx facilities Tuesday in the San Antonio area and Austin were the work of a “serial bomber,” an unrelated blast brought dozens of law enforcement to a Goodwill store not far from where the parcels were thought to have originated.

According to a Tweet from the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, a man in his 30s at Brodie and Slaughter Lanes was transported to a nearby hospital with potentially serious but not life-threatening injuries. The Austin Police Department sent out a tweet saying that the latest incident involved an "incendiary device" and was not a bomb. "At this time, we have no reason to believe this incident is related to previous package bombs."

Assistant Chief Ely Reyes told reporters that an employee found an "artillery simulator" in a donation bag, which "initiated" after he handled it, leaving him with an injury.

"We did determine this was not an explosive device. This incident is not related to any of the other incidents we have had here in Austin," he said. "This was an old military type ordnance that initiated in this person's hand and it did cause injury."

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The first explosion on Tuesday, reported to Schertz police about 12:25 a.m., came just days after a fourth package explosion occurred in Austin, injuring two people.

In total, five packages have exploded in Central Texas since the beginning of March, killing two and seriously injuring four.

Tuesday’s explosion at the FedEx Ground building in the 9900 block of Doerr Lane in Schertz occurred shortly after midnight while a package was traveling along an elevated automated conveyer, officials said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed one employee, a woman, was treated at the scene and released.

According to archived police radio traffic, Schertz police evacuated the 75 employees in the FedEx building at the time, and set up a perimeter, shutting down access to Doerr Lane, which is west of Interstate 35 and lined with warehouse-like buildings of industry, distribution and manufacturing. Police also called in the FBI and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The radio traffic shows Schertz police knew early on — based on information provided by FedEx — that the package was destined for Austin.

At approximately 6:19 a.m., a call was made to Austin police about a suspicious package at a FedEx facility at 4117 McKinney Falls Parkway. Officials with APD, the ATF and the FBI later determined that explosives were in the package and it was disrupted, according to a press release. No one was injured.

Before authorities confirmed that the San Antonio and Austin incidents were linked, interim Police Chief Brian Manley told city councilors that investigators believed all four prior bombs were connected due to similar components. He said the working theory is the package that exploded in Schertz was intended for Austin.

It's believed at least one of the package bombs was shipped from a FedEx office located in Sunset Valley, 700-person city within Austin that is just two miles from where the fourth bomb exploded on Sunday, said Sunset Valley Police Lt. Rich Andreucci.

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul told the American-Statesman that surveillance video from Fed-Ex in Schertz "could possibly" show the suspect.

Sunset Valley police have had a perimeter blocked off since 6 a.m. around the FedEx office, located in a strip mall near several fast food restaurants and a dentist office.

By 1:30 p.m. FBI agents were coming in and out of the FedEx office, which is closed pending the investigation, Andreucci said. He didn't know whether the store had surveillance cameras.

READ ALSO: Police checking suspicious package at Austin FedEx shipping center

FedEx issued a statement Tuesday morning:

"We can confirm that a single package exploded while in a FedEx Ground sortation facility early this morning. One team member is being treated for minor injuries," the statement read. "We are working closely with law enforcement in their investigation. We are not providing any additional specific information about this package at this time."

RELATED: Authorities hunting clues ask Austin bomber to talk to them

After a fourth Austin explosion Sunday night, Austin police Chief Brian Manley said authorities are "clearly dealing with what we believe to be a serial bomber at this point."

Authorities on Tuesday continued to urge Central Texas residents to use caution.

"I want to continue to remind our community to pay close attention to any suspicious device whether it be a package, a bag, a backpack or anything that looks out of place, do not approach it," Manley said. "Call 9-1-1 immediately. Also remember do not move, touch or open unexpected/suspicious packages."

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Guillermo Contreras and Allison Morris contributed to this report. | Caleb Downs is a crime reporter for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here.| cdowns@mysa.com | Twitter: @calebjdowns