This morning's shooting death of a North Austin man is under investigation.
At a press conference earlier today Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said it all started at 7:23 this morning, when the deceased man, who has yet to be identified by name, called 911 saying he had shot a pitbull that attacked him.
Police say within seconds an officer was dispatched to the scene and while he was still on the phone dispatchers asked the man to leave his weapon inside the house. But the man refused. Six minutes later, an officer was at the scene and confirmed there was a dead pitbull in the backyard that did not belong to the man. The officer asked the man to remove his semi-automatic pistol from his belt. Police say the man argued with the officer and, at some point, drew his weapon and pointed it at the officer. The officer fired twice and the man was pronounced dead by EMS at 7:44.
APD Chief Art Acevedo offered his condolences calling the incident "a tragedy". He also said video and audio from the officer's camera are now part of the on-going investigation. The officer's name has not been released but he has been with the force for the last 3 years. APD says he is "clearly shaken" by the incident. He has been placed on paid administrative leave, a standard procedure in these cases.
