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'Person of Interest' Held In Shooting of Judge

Courtesy of Travis County Courts

UPDATE Monday: Austin Police are saying a person of interest in the shooting of State District Judge Julie Kocurek has been arrested. Austin Police say in a statement released over social media that the person is being held on unrelated charges in Houston.

"We will not make any further comments at this time due to our ongoing investigation," the statement said

Meanwhile, Kocurek's family has released a statement via family representative Bill Rhea. It reads, "The Kocurek family is grateful for everything being done on their behalf and appreciates the effort being undertaken by those involved in the investigation. For the time being, Judge Kocurek and her family will remain completely focused on her recovery.”
 

Saturday Nov. 7 : State District Judge Shot in Front of Her Tarrytown Home

The presiding felony judge in Travis County is recovering after she was shot outside her home last night. Police are still searching for the person who shot Judge Julie Kocurek at 10:16 p.m. in her driveway.  

Witnesses were with Kocurek during the shooting, but were not injured. Kocurek lives in Tarrytown, a West Austin neighborhood with with multi-million dollar homes along Lake Austin.

She has been a district court judge in Travis County since 1999, when she was appointed by then-Governor George W Bush. She went on to become the only Republican-elected district judge in the county, before switching parties in 2006. 

Recently, she’s presided over a few high-profile murder cases in Central Texas. After the shooting, she was taken to the hospital with serious, but not life-threatening injuries. 

Police had few details about the shooter early this morning as they continue to interview witnesses. They say darkness made it difficult to find the shooter last night. 

Jimmy is the assistant program director, but still reports on business and sports every now and then. Got a tip? Email him at jmaas@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @maasdinero.
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