Updated 5:15 pm: An Austin police officer shot and killed a 26-year-old man this morning. Police say the man killed had already taken one person's life and was aiming an assault rifle at police.
A suspect opened fire on police from a house at 5:17 a.m. this morning. The officers were responding to reports of a medical emergency on the 12300 block of Tomanet Trail in Northwest Austin.
After an exchange of gunfire, the suspect fled and allegedly shot a 29-year-old women on the street. Police report that he followed her to her house firing more shots, and then headed to a Jaguar dealership where he was shot and killed by Austin Police Officer Will Ray. Officers said the suspect aimed an assault rifle at them.
Because there were no APD cruisers positioned at the dealership, police only have audio tape of the suspect’s death, but Chief Art Acevedo says APD does have video of the initial confrontation.
“It is going to be very clear convincing evidence of the intent of this suspect to disregard the lives of our officers, the lives of the public and his willingness to take a human life," Acevedo said.
Police discovered the dead body of a man in the same house where they encountered the suspect. The woman he allegedly shot is in stable condition at St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center.
APD put out this news release minutes ago, describing the suspect and victim as "Asian" males.
The incident marks the third officer involved shooting this year, a jump in a city that often sees only one or two such shootings a year. Michael Lauderdale, who chairs Austin’s Public Safety Commission, says the number of officer involved shootings are the only crime statistics on the rise.
“At the date of the 14th of October, in 2009 there were 19 murders and 26 in 2010. Since the 14th, this is my tally we’ve had 5 additional murders," Lauderdale told KUT News.
Acevedo says the officer-involved shooting is being investigated by the Office of the Police Monitor and the Travis County District Attorney's Office.
This is the area where APD say the shooting took place.
