Austin Police Investigate Violent Weekend, Devise Plan Of Action

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Now that the dust — or, more appropriately the smoke of gunfire — has settled in Austin after a weekend that saw five shootings leading to several injuries and one death, police Chief Bryan Manley on Monday provided an update on multiple and concurrent investigations.

On the final weekend of SXSW that ended on Sunday, March 17, officers responded to five shooting incidents, including one in which officers were involved. Before offering details on the violence that marred the weekend, the chief provided a timeline:

• The first incident occurred on March 16 at 2:45 a.m. along the 700 block of Interstate 35 where several people were waiting to be picked up by transportation providers. A motorist in a passing car opened fire on the crowd, leaving three people with non-life-threatening injuries to their legs and arms. Arrests have yet to be made in that incident, Manley said, and a search for suspect continues in the aggravated assault with a deadly weapon case. Four persons of interest were later ruled out as suspects, Manley said. The only description of a suspect police have to go by is that of black males in their 20s.
• That same night at 5:02 a.m., another shooting took place at the Axis West Campus apartments along the 2500 block of Longview Street involving an 18-year-old white male who sustained a gunshot injury to his leg. The incident occurred in the West Access Apartments. No arrests have been made in the case, classified as an aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. Manley did not provide a description of the suspect in that case.

Related story: SXSW Festival Ends With A Weekend Of Violence In Austin

• Just over an hour later the same day, yet another shooting incident was reported at 6:21 a.m., Manley said. The incident occurred along the 7100 block of North Interstate 35 at a Denny's restaurant there. Manley said shooting preceded an argument between a restaurant patron and worker over non-payment of food items. No arrests have been made in that case either, Manley said, that's been deemed an aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. The shooting victim has since been released after receiving medical treatment to his chest and arm. An arrest has yet to be made, and police continue to investigate. Manley said a description of the vehicle (which is registered outside the city of Austin) tied to the suspect was obtained by police. The suspect is described as a black male.
• Also on March 16, a shooting was reported at 11:56 p.m. along the 300 block of East 6th Street. In that incident, three individuals attacked a man who sustained gunshot injuries in the process. Like the other cases, no arrests have been made in what remains an open investigation. Manley provided no suspect descriptions.
• The final incident in a violence-ridden weekend involving gunplay occurred on March 17 at 2:50 a.m. during which officers fired at suspects. The incident that began as a fender-bender between an SUV and a Maserati at the 700 block of East 7th Street resulted in a shooting. The driver of the Maserati was punched by occupants from the SUV before gunfire erupted from within the luxury sports vehicle. As police arrived, one of the SUV's occupants who looked to have been shot pulled out a firearm of his own, prompting officers to shoot at him before he and two other men sped off. The Maserati was later found ditched in East Austin with a dead man inside who matched the description of one of those involved in the melee. Police continue to investigate the case, and no arrests have been made. The deceased man has not been identified, but Manley said he is from the Dallas area.

In the latter case, police are seeking help from the public in locating the whereabouts of the suspects. The Monte Carlo SS they were traveling in has white racing stripes down the center of the hood. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (512) 974-TIPS.

Manley said several measures are being taken to address the spike in violence, including meeting with SXSW and Downtown Austin Alliance officials to plan next year's festival. "This was the one week of the year when we have the most police officers in the entertainment district given the SXSW festival," Manley said.

Within a one-mile radius of the last incident on March 17, nearly 300 officers were on the ground safeguarding visitors lured to the entertainment district during SXSW, he noted. "This is partly an issue we will address as we go forward because that's not usually the staffing level we have in the entertainment district. But we've also seen increases in violence in the entertainment district previously to SXSW. We are having officers retrieving more weapons, more firearms off of individuals, and, as has well been reported, we've had other shootings that have taken place on 6th Street and the entertainment district over this past year as well."

Manley described a plan of action to address the spike in violence — "to a level we've never seen before," the chief noted — including reaching out to operators of specific venues along 6th Street for police cooperation in identifying security shortcomings. Those venue operators expressing unwillingness to work with police in improving security measures will be probed for violations to TABC (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission) licensing, Manley suggested. Patterns and commonalities will be explored to examine which clubs are the ones most attracting the criminal element to the city's entertainment district, Manley said.

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