The Austin Police Department has added two names to a list of officers — now totaling seven — it says were involved in injuring protesters during demonstrations against racial injustice after the police killing of George Floyd in May.
Officer Jeffrey Teng, who has been with the department for four years, and Officer Eric Heim, who's been with APD for five-and-a-half years, have been put on administrative leave, with pay, while the department investigates.
During weekend protests on May 30 and May 31, Austin police seriously injured at least two people when they shot lead pellet-filled bags, sometimes called beanbag rounds, at demonstrators. Several people were hit in the head, including a 20-year-old college student who remained in critical condition days after being hit.
In June, APD originally identified five officers it says were involved in seriously injuring protesters; these officers are still under investigation.
APD also on Thursday identified the approximate time and place where it says police injured protesters. The department said they’re looking into nine incidents. This summer, Police Chief Brian Manley originally told council members there were 10 incidents they would be investigating.
May 30
- 4:30 p.m. — 800 block of N IH-35 SB
- 5:10 p.m. — 900 block of N. IH-35 NB
- 5:24 p.m. — 800 block of N. IH-35 NB Frontage
- 7:12 p.m. — 1000 E. Riverside Dr.
May 31
- 1:55 p.m. — 300 block of W. Cesar Chavez
- 4 p.m. — 800 block of N. IH-35 SB
- 4 p.m. — 800 block of N. IH-35 NB
- 11:04 p.m. — 800 block N. Ih-35 SB Frontage
- 11:04 p.m. — N. IH-35 SB Frontage/E. 8th Street
A department spokesperson told KUT in June they would not be identifying which officers were responsible for which injuries out of a concern for the officers’ safety.
At least one of the officers who the department says was involved in protest injuries was recently reprimanded. The City of Austin suspended Officer Teng this summer for failing to properly handle a domestic violence call he responded to.
According to a memo from the city's Human Resources Department, Teng did not arrest the suspect even though he had probable cause to do so, did not take photos of the victim’s injuries or offer her support services.
Got a tip? Email Audrey McGlinchy at audrey@kut.org. Follow her on Twitter @AKMcGlinchy.
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