APD arrests man in connection to northwest Austin shooting that left 1 dead, 1 injured

Abigail Jones
·2 min read
3

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police arrested a man they say was involved in a shooting earlier this week that left one person dead and another seriously injured.

Around 5:58 p.m. Monday, Austin Police Department officers responded to the 11100 block of Research Boulevard for a shoot/stab hotshot call.

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Police said a caller reported they saw a man running and shooting. Another caller said someone had been shot near the back of an apartment complex, and a third caller stated they saw someone get shot near the HEB, according to police.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found a man with “apparent gunshot wounds” near the intersection of U.S. Highway 183 Southbound and Balcones Woods Drive. Police identified him as Jose Rubio. He was pronounced dead on the scene, APD said.

Police said a second shooting victim was dropped off at a local hospital by a woman driving a Chevrolet Tahoe. She immediately left the emergency room after dropping the man off, according to APD.

Police later found the Tahoe in the parking lot of the hospital and found a man APD identified as Javier Vega-Funes inside. He got out of the Tahoe and tried to leave the scene on foot, but was detained by officers, APD said.

According to police, the second victim was the brother of Javier Vega-Funes.

APD said detectives and crime scene specialists determined through investigation that Jose Rubio shot the man who was at the hospital at 11215 Research Boulevard before leaving the scene on foot.

Javier Vega-Funes then helped that man into the Tahoe, left the apartment and caught up to Rubio, who was still on foot. According to police, Vega-Funes got out of the Tahoe and shot Rubio on the southbound frontage road of Highway 183 at the Balcones Woods Drive intersection.

Javier Vega-Funes, 29, was arrested Monday and faces a first-degree murder charge.

The second man remains in the hospital in critical condition, according to APD.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or by calling 512-472-8477. A reward up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest.

This case is being investigated as Austin’s 16th homicide of 2024.

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