Austin Police Fatally Shoot Man, 20, Distraught Over Girlfriend

AUSTIN, TX — An Austin police officer fatally shot a 20-year-old man threatening to commit suicide on Tuesday, the chief of police said.

Officers responded the 11300 block of Long Winter Dr. at around 11 am. after receiving reports of a man brandishing a gun and "...waving it around in an erratic fashion,"interim Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters at a subsequent press conference. The chief said the suspect's mother had dialed 911 to report her son was suicidal, and having gotten into an argument with his girlfriend.

Manley made a point to note the mother only spoke Spanish while the suspect spoke both Spanish and English.

Upon arrival to the home, officers ordered the man to drop his weapon but he failed to comply, according to the official police narrative. The man was by then in the street fronting the home after emerging from the garage while his mother stayed behind on the driveway. At some point, the man moved toward his mother again, prompting one officer—an unidentified 17-year veteran of the police force—to open fire, hitting the distraught man.

"He fired in defense of the mother's life," Manley explained, although he said it's unclear whether the weapon was pointed at the mother. The officer fired with a patrol rifle, the chief noted.

The chief noted there may not be video footage from police dashcams to corroborate the series of events, as patrol cars weren't positioned in a way that cameras could record the scene. He said a check with neighbors was planned to see if anyone had surveillance footage from home security cameras.

The officer involved in the shooting was placed on administrative leave per protocol when officer-involved shootings take place, Manley said.

The incident was the second officer-involved shooting in Austin in less than a month and one of several recent such shootings by police in the city. On April 7, Lawrence Burrell Parrish, 31, was shot by police after they responded to a disturbance along the 6300 block of Parliament Drive in East Austin.

Police initially said Parrish had fired at them first, but Manley later corrected the narrative in a subsequent press conference to say the man never fired his weapon. Like Tuesday's incident no video footage exists because of the positioning of cars with dashcams pointed away from the scene of the action, Manley explained at the time.

"Our officers were put in a very difficult position today," Manley said in reference to the shooting of the 20-year-old. "I assure you, no officers starts their day with the thought of taking a life."

Manley said he has met with family members of the deceased to offer condolences. He noted that the investigation into the incident continues, and the information conveyed during his press conference was of a preliminary nature.

From earlier:

NORTH AUSTIN, TX — Residents are urged to avoid an area of northeast Austin in the aftermath of an officer-involved shooting late Tuesday morning, police said.

The Austin Police Department tweeted a notice related to the shooting along the 11300 block of Long Winter Dr. shortly before noon on Tuesday. Police urge motorists and others to avoid the area for safety and to accommodate investigators at the scene.

No further details have been provided, but police have scheduled a press conference occurring imminently.

Patch will update this story as more details are made available. Refresh this page for updates.