2nd Amendment Chat Room · CHARGED

Man in zombie makeup stabbed two people at a coffee shop — Austin, Texas — October 28

Austin police were called at about 8:54 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, to a disturbance at Buzz Mill Coffee at 1505 Town Creek Drive in southeast Austin. Officers and Austin-Travis County EMS found two people with stab wounds. One had life-threatening injuries and the other had non-life-threatening injuries, and both were taken to hospital, where police said they were later in stable condition. Police said the suspect was wearing a Halloween costume. A witness told police he was dressed as a zombie, with zombie makeup covering his face, according to KEYE reporting cited by Austin police. An arrest affidavit reported by FOX 7 Austin said witnesses described a man with blood or makeup on his face and a tattered-looking shirt, and surveillance footage showed a shirt that appeared dirty and tattered with the number "666" handwritten on it. According to the affidavit, the incident began after the suspect carried a case of Twisted Tea, an alcoholic drink, into the bar area from the patio. One victim told him he could not bring alcohol inside and told another employee to call police as the suspect pulled a knife, the affidavit said. A scuffle followed as the suspect moved toward the patio exit, the first victim was stabbed in the neck and ribcage, and the second victim was stabbed in the abdomen and groin area after trying to intervene. FOX 7 Austin reported the weapon recovered was a folding knife with a blade of about six inches. Police said the suspect fled in a pickup truck at high speed and crashed into an unoccupied Tesla Cybercab — a self-driving robotaxi, not a Cybertruck as first described in the drop. FOX 7 Austin reported the crash was at Tillery Street and Govalle Avenue, about three miles from Buzz Mill, and the truck was a white 2019 Nissan Frontier matching the suspect vehicle's description. Officers searching the area found and arrested the suspect on a walking trail near Rosewood and Chestnut avenues, and police identified him as 20-year-old Shankar Temple Grace. Grace was booked into the Travis County Jail on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony. According to the affidavit reported by FOX 7 Austin, Grace told police while being taken from hospital to jail that the two victims had fought him first and he was defending himself, and reportedly said: "It was just a fight, and I just happen to have a knife." Those claims have not been tested in court, and the charges are allegations. Police initially released no information on a potential motive, and detectives were working to determine whether Grace had any relationship with the victims. People at the coffee shop also told police he had caused a disturbance there before Wednesday night, but police could not provide details of any prior incidents. We are following this case and will update it again as soon as new information comes.

Date

October 28, 2026

Location

Buzz Mill Coffee, 1505 Town Creek Drive, southeast Austin, Texas

Victims

Two men stabbed — one with life-threatening injuries (neck and ribcage), the other with non-life-threatening injuries (abdomen and groin); both in stable condition by Thursday. FOX 7 Austin reported GoFundMe campaigns naming them as Brian Mason (security)

Suspect

Shankar Temple Grace, 20 — charged with two counts of second-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, booked into the Travis County Jail on a collective $100,000 bond

Stage

CHARGED

Last updated: Oct 31, 2026, 5:25 AM ET

Evidence

Next expected update: Court proceedings on the two aggravated assault charges and updates on the victims' recovery