HOUSTON - A suspect was arrested and charged with capital murder of his parents and four other people in the US state of Texas, authorities said Wednesday.

Shane James Jr., aged 34, is suspected of fatally shooting his parents with a "large caliber handgun" sometime between 10:00 pm Monday (0400 GMT Tuesday) and 9:00 am Tuesday (1500 GMT Tuesday) in the San Antonio area, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

James had mental health problems and had been discharged from the military after a domestic violence incident, the sheriff said.

Four other people were killed and two police officers were shot at different locations in Austin, about 80 miles (129 km) away from San Antonio on Tuesday, police said.

The suspect was arrested after he crashed his vehicle while speeding away from a shootout with a police officer that left them with "multiple gunshot wounds," interim Austin police chief Robin Henderson told reporters on Wednesday.

The suspect is expected to remain in custody pending a trial, the Travis County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday in a statement.