Army probe of Austin shooting suspect years before rampage ended with reprimand

A former U.S. Army officer accused of carrying out a shooting rampage through Austin last year received a written reprimand at the conclusion of a domestic violence investigation when he was stationed at Fort Cavazos nearly a decade earlier, according to military disciplinary records obtained by the American-Statesman.

Prior to the shootings, Shane James Jr., 34, had multiple interactions with law enforcement, ranging from his abbreviated military service to about three months before the shootings. The on-base domestic violence investigation is the earliest known run-in the Bexar County resident had with authorities before the county-spanning string of shootings on Dec. 5.

The disciplinary records provide additional details about the events following James' detainment by military police and the circumstances preceding his discharge from the Army — events authorities have either just hinted at or declined to discuss since his arrest.

Authorities say James killed his parents — Phyllis James, 55, and Shane James Sr., 56 — at their eastern Bexar County home before driving to Austin, where he killed four more people — Emmanuel Pop Ba, 33; Sabrina Rahman, 25; Katherine Short, 56; and Lauren Short, 30 — and injured three, including two police officers.

In the last decade, the penalties levied against James at every juncture with law enforcement, including while he was in the Army, did not rise to a level that would have required him to be reported to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS. Federally licensed gun vendors check the FBI-run database prior to completing a sale of a firearm.

Whether and to what degree the alleged assault factored into James' discharge from the Army is unclear. Austin police say he received a general discharge for "unacceptable conduct" in August 2015, a designation that falls below a dishonorable discharge, which would’ve required the Army to report him to NICS.

However, Austin police say James bought the .45-caliber handgun he used in the Dec. 5 shootings from a private seller in July 2022, skirting such a federal background check. Police have declined to disclose information about the purchase, which was prohibited by James' bail conditions from a misdemeanor family assault arrest in January 2022, according to court records.

An Army spokesperson did not comment on the content of the records despite repeated inquiries. Previously, the spokesperson declined to comment on the circumstances leading up to James' discharge, saying Army policy bars the release of information about the "misconduct of low-level employees or characterization of service at discharge."

James faces capital murder charges in Travis County. Russ Hunt Jr., a court-appointed attorney representing James, did not respond to a request for comment about the disciplinary records.

Army commander issues a written reprimand following detainment

On June 21, 2014, while he was stationed at Fort Cavazos, then Fort Hood, near Killeen, military police detained James on suspicion of assaulting his then-wife and taking her phone, preventing her from calling 911, according to a heavily-redacted military police report obtained by the Statesman.

All names and most identifying information about the incident are redacted from the 11-page military police report. A person close to the incident, speaking to the Statesman on the condition of anonymity, identified James as the person detained by military police that afternoon. The rank and unit listed for the detainee in the report match those of James at the time, an Army spokesperson confirmed.

After the incident, military authorities "titled" James — a determination resulting from an investigator having credible information that a service member may have committed a criminal act — with three offenses: interfering with an emergency phone call (on post), assault (domestic disturbance) and spouse abuse (on post). Titling is not a legal or judicial decision, nor does it equate to a formal charge under military law.

Generally, a service member's commander decides whether to bring formal charges. James' commander decided only to issue a written reprimand, to be filed in his personnel file, on Sept. 17, 2014 — nearly three months after the alleged incident, according to the disciplinary records obtained by the Statesman through a Freedom of Information Act request.

According to the records, a written reprimand qualifies as an "adverse administrative action," which lists more than 30 other actions a commander can take against a service member. Among the possible penalties for a service member include a demotion, postponement of a promotion, termination, and a transfer.

The commander's name is redacted from the records. In a section designated for comments on the case, the commander wrote, "Dismissed." The commander signed off on the report on Aug. 8, 2015, more than a year and a month after the alleged assault.

Nine days after the sign-off, James, who held the rank of first lieutenant, was discharged from the Army. He had no deployments and did not serve for the entirety of his contract term.

In the years following the discharge, James had multiple run-ins with law enforcement, some of which resulted in arrests, and struggled to hold consistent employment, according to public records and interviews conducted by the Statesman.

Authorities have said James had a history of mental health issues. About three months before the string of shootings on Dec. 5, James barricaded himself in his room as Bexar County sheriff deputies responded to a welfare check. Deputies did not apprehend James despite knowing of an active warrant he had from a misdemeanor arrest the previous year.

James is due in court on April 11, though court dates are subject to change. The presiding judge asked arrangements be made for him to appear in court.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Army probe of mass shooting suspect ended with reprimand, records show