( CNN ) -- A man shot up a federal courthouse and a Mexican consulate -- which he also seemingly tried to set ablaze -- in Austin , Texas , early Friday before being shot dead outside police headquarters , that city 's police chief said . The shooter fired `` over 100 rounds '' in a roughly 10-minute span , but he did not hit anyone even though the bullets ricocheted at a typically busy time in downtown Austin , when streets fill with people after bars close for the night . `` This Thanksgiving ... weekend , I give thanks that no one but the suspect is injured or deceased , '' police Chief Art Acevedo said . `` That 's something that we should all take a lot of comfort in . '' The shooter was identified in a tweet from Austin police as 49-year-old Larry McQuilliam . Acevedo said he was an Austin resident who had a criminal history . Authorities have not offered a motive , but the police chief said that the shooter 's `` violent anti-government behavior '' -- as evidenced by attacking buildings that belong to Mexico 's government , the U.S. government and , in the police headquarters , the city government -- may have come from ongoing and often vitriolic debates in society . `` Our political discourse has become very heated and sometimes very angry , and sometimes the rhetoric is not healthy , '' Acevedo said , adding that the divisive immigration debate `` comes to mind , '' given that the federal courthouse and Mexican Consulate were targeted . `` I would venture , based on my training and experience , that the political rhetoric might have fed into some of this . '' The first 911 calls about gunshots came in at 2:22 a.m. Friday , with some reporting a `` possible automatic weapon being fired '' a few minutes later . Very soon after that , police started to hear about gunfire near a recently opened federal courthouse and then at the city 's nearby Mexican Consulate . Acevedo later said the suspect -- using small cylinders often used for camping -- is thought to have ignited a fire at the consulate , though those flames were extinguished before any extensive damage was done . The police headquarters `` came under attack '' about 2:32 a.m. , Acevedo said , at which time a sergeant with the department 's mounted police unit happened to be outside , putting away horses . `` As he held two horses with one hand , he discharged ... at least one round with a single-handed shot , '' the chief said . `` That would have been one heck of a shot . So part of our investigation will be whether the suspect died from our gunshot , from a self-inflicted gunshot or from a combination of both . '' After the gunman went down , officers spotted `` suspicious cylinders '' inside his van . And when they dragged the gunman away , officers noticed `` some type of vest on the suspect '' -- something that Acevedo said could have been `` simply a protective vest or potentially an IED suicide-type vest that is known to be used around the world . '' Authorities immediately called in the bomb squad and closed off the surrounding area , including for a time stopping all traffic on a stretch of Interstate 35 . A few hours later , they determined there were no explosives at the site . The suspect 's residence `` has been secured and is safe , '' according to Acevedo 's twitter account . Acevedo said that investigators , including FBI agents , `` will be looking at everything , '' even social media accounts , to try to determine what the gunman was thinking . The chief also said that he hopes the incident -- coming at a time of much-publicized , deep-seated anger at police after a Missouri grand jury 's decision not to charge a Ferguson police officer in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown -- prompts people to think about the dangers that police face , and overcome , every day to keep residents safe . `` We are under siege at times , '' Acevedo said . `` And it 's important for people to realize that the men and women in this profession are ( the public 's defense ) when it comes to ... any type of threat , from terrorists or the common criminal . '' CNN 's Tina Burnside and Joshua Berlinger contributed to this report .
Austin : Police have identified the deceased as year - old Larry McQuilliams . He was an Austin resident and had a criminal history , authorities say . A police sergeant fired at the suspect while holding two guns , police chief says . The chief speculates that angry , unhealthy political rhetoric may have fed into the attack .