Disturbance call leads to officer-involved shooting in southwest Austin

Taylor Girtman
·2 min read

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A disturbance call led to an officer-involved shooting in southwest Austin early Saturday morning, according to Austin police.

The shooting happened around 2 a.m. at an apartment complex near the Barton Creek Square Mall.

Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson said Austin 911 received an emergency call at 1:56 a.m. about a disturbance in an apartment at 3050 Tamarron Blvd. The caller said a physical disturbance could be heard from a nearby apartment.

Henderson said officers were dispatched within the same minute. Two officers arrived at the complex at 2:04 a.m. The officers found the apartment with the disturbance, approached the front door and announced themselves as Austin police officers.

A third officer arrived at the scene and approached the apartment’s rear patio door. Henderson said the officer saw two suspects in a disturbance in the apartment through a sliding glass door, including one suspect with a gun.

The officer saw the armed suspect walk toward the front door and yelled the warning of “gun, gun, gun,” Henderson said. The officer at the rear patio discharged his firearm, striking the male suspect.

The injured suspect was taken into custody and taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Henderson said. The second male in the apartment was not injured.

The officer who shot the suspect has seven months of service with the Austin Police Department, Henderson said. The officer will be placed on administrative duty.

The shooting was captured on body-worn cameras. APD will release the video within 10 business days.

APD will conduct two concurrent investigations into the officer-involved shooting. One is a criminal investigation with APD’s special investigations unit and the Travis County DA’s office. The second is an administrative investigation with the internal affairs unit with the Office of Police Oversight.

People with information can call APD’s special investigations unit at 512-974-6840. Tips can also be sent to Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477.

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