Business at the State Capitol returned to normal Friday, less than 24 hours after troopers wrestled down a gunman on the south steps.
A trickle of visitors has been in and out of the doors all morning long. If you didn't know about the gunshots, you wouldn't know by walking inside.
Troopers stood their usual guard.
The gunfire happened around 12:15 p.m. right at the door of the south steps.
Troopers identified the gunman as Fausto Cardenas, 24, of Houston.
Witnesses reported hearing up to six shots. One of the Capitol tour guides saw Cardenas pull out the gun and rushed to get others out of the front entry.
“My concern was first children, because there were a bunch of children -- a group of 25. My feeling was get them out and everybody out so nobody gets hurt, you know? I don't think about safety of me you know or my -- my thought was the children first,” said Esther Vanhout, Capitol tour guide.
Vanhout then locked herself and her coworkers inside the front office as troopers wrestled Cardenas to the ground.
DPS is still investigating what prompted the shooting. We're told Cardenas visited Republican Senator Dan Patrick's office moments before the gunfire. He wanted to speak with a woman in the office.
On Friday morning, the office remained locked.
Downstairs and across the Capitol, there were no other signs of what happened less than 24 hours ago.
Cardenas is in the Travis County Jail. He's charged with deadly conduct, a third degree felony.
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