Austin PD Reveals The Impact Munitions Used On Police Protesters

AUSTIN, TX — In response to questions from member of the media amid protests over law enforcement tactics, the Austin Police Department on Thursday revealed the types of impact munitions that have been used to quell demonstrations.

Labeling the devices as "less lethal munitions," police outlined the three types of instruments used to calm crowds.

Protesters have descended to downtown — with requisite stops at the Texas Capitol and police headquarters — to protest police brutality following the May 25 death of George Floyd, who died after a police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Protesters in Austin had already been galvanized against police overreach a month before Floyd's death when an unarmed man, Michael Ramos, was killed in South Austin after a confrontation with police. Ramos name has been invoked by protesters in conveying his death also triggered the local protests.

Patch is among the media outlets who have requested information related to police tactics and munitions. In a May 31 email, police partially responded to questions from Patch asking for details related to non-lethal means of pacifying crowds — confirming use of the CS gas eye irritant and smoke.

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Police at the time did not provide further detail related to tactics, declining to confirm social media reports that compounds were hurled from a police helicopter last weekend to disperse protesting crowds.

"Smoke and CS gas was deployed from the ground," a police spokesperson told Patch at the time. "Throughout the demonstrations, officers have utilized less lethal munitions. For the safety of our community and officers, we do not provide detailed information on all of APD tactics."

Below are munitions the Austin Police Department on Thursday said have been utilized for crowd control. Photos of each impact munition were provided by the Austin Police Department.

CTS 12 gauge bean bag:

CTS 40mm foam round:

Prior to June 1, 2020, APD used Def-Tec 12 gauge bean bag munitions, police noted in an email The change was made to CTS as the vendor was not able to fulfill additional orders, officials added:

The use of such munitions has come into greater focus after two protesters were hospitalized from being hit in the head with such projectiles over the weekend. Austin Police Chief Brian Manley previously confirmed that a third protester, an African American pregnant woman, was struck in the belly by an impact munition over the weekend. Her condition is unknown.

Family members have since identified the Hispanic teen who was sustained a head injury as Brad Levi Ayala, and have set up a GoFundMe campaign to help defray hospital costs — raising nearly $136,397 as of 3 p.m. on Thursday. "He is only 16 and his family is struggling to pay the medical bills and recover from this tragedy," family members wrote on the fundraising page, accompanying the narrative with photos of the bloody teen at the protest scene as well as images of the boy being treated at a hospital.

On Wednesday, the Texas A&M student newspaper The Battalion identified an injured 20-year-old African American protester — now in critical condition at an area hospital "fighting for his life," as Manley described — as Justin Howell. The victim's brother, a writer for the student-run newspaper wrote an op-ed that the protester sustained a fractured skull and brain damage.

Patch on Wednesday emailed the Austin Police Department a series of questions related to police engagement with protesters after the weekend was marred with such acts of violence. Questions were posed related to whether police will continue us of impact projectiles and if the officers involved in the incidents that left protesters injured would face discipline.

As of Thursday, police have yet to respond to questions posed by Patch.

Demonstrations against police brutality continued unabated on Thursday, with reports of protests outside the Austin Police Department along the 700 block of East 8th Street.