AUSTIN (KXAN) — Heading closer to Buzz Mill, Joe Blackman retraces his steps from the prior night. The Austin resident stands across the street from the 24/7 coffee shop around East Riverside Drive.
“Where you can see the Buzz Mill sign,” he reflects, “I was told by the officers that I needed to step back.”
Before Blackman got his nightcap, a sea of police lights and caution tape greeted the Buzz Mill regular.
“Clearly, it was a very serious incident.”
Man in ‘zombie’ costume stabs 2 at Austin coffee shop, APD says arrest made
Moments before Blackman arrived, Austin Police say Shankar Temple Grace stabbed two people inside the coffee shop and bar around 9 p.m. Wednesday. The 20-year-old is now charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The events page on Buzz Mill’s website showed the shop at 1505 Town Creek Drive was hosting “Buzz Kill,” a free comedy show.
“It’s a sad state of our world where something like this happens in moments you would never expect,” said Blackman.
Mugshot of Shankar T Grace (APD photo)
Court records show Grace has a history with law enforcement, including a hearing in Dallas County as recent as last week.
Criminal History
Bastrop County court records list three charges against Grace from an incident on Sept. 30, 2023. Allegations include evading arrest or detention with a vehicle, resisting arrest, search or transport and reckless driving.
This year, those cases saw a motion for a psychiatric evaluation occur June 8 with a competency evaluation dated Aug. 28. More hearings are scheduled in November and December.
We reached out to Grace’s court-appointed counsel for these cases but have yet to receive a response.
In July 2025, Grace was charged with aggravated assault against a public servant and aggravated assault “involving a dating partner or family/household member with a weapon and serious bodily injury” in Bastrop County.
The status of the case isn’t currently known.
A month after that prior case, a Dallas County grand jury indicted Grace for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon/terroristic threat.
Grace had a hearing scheduled last week following a mental health referral. The court docket doesn’t show whether he appeared for that.
We reached out to the defense attorney listed for Grace in this case but haven’t heard back yet.
Neighborhood reaction
Esa Sait, alongside other neighbors around Buzz Mill, shared their disbelief of Grace’s alleged actions from Wednesday.
“I never really thought that he would have such a history of criminal activity,” said Sait. He mentioned Grace could be seen often in the area with makeup resembling “Joker,” a DC Comics supervillain known for a clown-like appearance with white face paint and red lips.
Other witnesses described Grace’s getup as “zombie-like,” with Austin Police telling KXAN the suspect wore a Halloween costume Wednesday.
Buzz Mill coffee shop entrance. (KXAN Photo/Nathan Langley)
Similar to Sait, a cashier at the nearby Tinnin Food Mart told KXAN he came across Grace quite often. The convenience store employee said the 20-year-old appeared calm and shared his surprise of what reportedly happened the night before.
“I don’t judge anyone by how they look, but just pretty shocking,” said Sait.
The neighbor believes the area can move on from the stabbing, if the community finds each other.
“If people just keep showing up and keep showing love for the community as they do, that’s the best way that we can keep moving forward.”
We reached out to Buzz Mill’s management for comment, including when we visited Thursday, but haven’t heard back.
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