Austin Police Chief IDs Two Officers Involved In Case Of Teen Who Shot Self While Handcuffed [Video]

AUSTIN, TX — Police on Tuesday identified the two officers involved in an incident during which a teenager fatally shot himself while handcuffed in the back of a squad car over the weekend.

Interim Police Chief Brian Manley said Iven Wall, a police force veteran given his tenure of 10 yeasr and seven months, was the policeman who was transporting Zachary Khabir Anam, 19, from Barton Creek Square mall in southwest Austin to police headquarters after the young suspect was detained on suspicion of shoplifting from the Macy's store there.

The other officer involved, John Ricker, was following Wall in a separate patrol car. Ricker has been with the police force for six years and nine months. Manley said. The interim police chief provided a media briefing to reporters on Tuesday given the intense interest in the case that occurred Sunday, when Anam killed himself after retrieving a revolver from his waistband.

Both of the officers now are on administrative leave per police protocol during an investigation.

Manley said the young man was able to shoot himself in the head, even while handcuffed, by shifting his arms to the front of his body on the right side while reclining on the back seat of the patrol car. He then pulled out a Glock semi-automatic pistol from his waistband, shooting himself in the head after having told the officer of suicidal thoughts he previously had experienced.

The interaction between the officers trying to defuse the situation lasted six minutes before Anam pulled the trigger on himself, Manley repeated. He also reiterated the entire episode was captured on in-car video, but footage hasn't been released.

In response to a reporter's question as to how the weapon was missed despite the customary pat-down and search of suspects, Manley acknowledged that the investigation would also assess "the adequacy of the search" performed on the suspect before he was handcuffed and placed into the police vehicle for transport to police headquarters.

But pressed further, Manley declined to theorize further, He said he would wait until the investigation concludes before commenting further on any procedural shortcomings on the part of the police involved.

See the video of Manley's press conference below:

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