Austin Police ID Cop, Suspect In Officer-Involved Shooting

AUSTIN, TX — Police on Friday identified the 74-year-old resident fatally shot by police after a standoff last weekend, along with the name of the officer who returned fire.

Senior police officer Matt Harmatuk — who was hired by the Austin Police Department on Jan. 23, 1995 — was identified as having delivered the fatal gunfire in killing Fred Louis Babcock after what began as a domestic disturbance report.

Police were called just after 7:15 p.m. to the 2100 block of East Anderson Lane last Sunday in response to a person barricaded at an apartment complex. By around 9:09 p.m., Babcock was spotted by members of a SWAT team at the window while armed with a handgun.

Previous coverage: Man Fatally Shot By Austin Police After Standoff

Just after midnight early Monday, the police chief said at a press conference that officers had attempted to coax the man out, but not before the door was breached to remove the man's wife from the apartment. The woman had called police to report the man had struck her while he was intoxicated, but Manley said officers were unable to place the man into custody after forcing themselves in as he had locked himself in a room at the rear portion of the apartment.