Man Found Dead In South Austin Homeless Camp

SOUTH AUSTIN, TX — Police early Thursday responded to the southeastern part of the city amid reports of a person found dead who had possibly been shot, officials said.

Police initially tweeted about the incident in a 1 a.m., asking people to avoid the scene as detectives continued to investigate the scene. Later, Officer Bino Cadenas staged a press briefing to provide more details. He said a caller notified police to the incident, saying the man had possibly been shot.

Officers then unsuccessfully canvased the area around the intersection of Todd Lane and East St. Elmo Road based on the caller's information. Cadenas said the caller contacted police again to alert them the victim was in a homeless camp along the 4400 block of Todd Lane — an area south of Texas 71 and east of Interstate 35 south. This is where police found the man who had obvious trauma throughout his body, the officer said.

The man was pronounced dead just before 1 a.m., Cadenas said. However, the officer said it's unclear if the man was, in fact, homeless. Also, police did not formally categorize the man's wounds as inflicted by gunshot pending a determination by the medical examiner.

While detectives continue their investigation, they ask anyone with information about the incident to call 9-1-1 or the police tip line at (512) 477-3588.