Kidnapping Suspect Shot Dead By Austin Police Officers (Updated)

SOUTH AUSTIN, TX — A man who led law enforcement officials on a car chase after a suspected kidnapping was shot dead after being fired upon by seven police officers Monday night.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley described the timeline of events that led to the latest officer-involved shooting in Austin. He told reporters at a press briefing that the incident started at around 5:30 p.m., taking place at various locations, initially with a disturbance among roommates along the 3300 block of Parker Lane in South Austin.

Those living there left the residence following the disturbance, heading toward the 4800 block of Nuckols Crossing Road, Manley said. But the suspect got into a taxicab to reach the address there, the chief added. That's when the victims in the disturbance called 911 and reported the suspect might be armed.

While the suspect was said to have been involved in a kidnapping attempt, Manley did not address that part of the report during his briefing to reporters. Instead, Manley described how the suspect got behind the wheel of the taxicab after the cabbie exited the vehicle and drove away — leading police on a chase.

Manley said the suspect tried to ram the gates into an apartment complex along the 4900 block of Edge Creek Drive, before he said the suspect had put a gun to his head. Commands for him to drop the gun went unheeded by the suspect, the chief added.

Manley said police negotiators and members of the SWAT team attempted to resolve the issue, but the suspect instead pointed the gun at them just before 6:40 p.m. Three minutes later, the chief said, the suspect pointed the gun at officers again, prompting them to fire their weapons at the suspect.

Even after firing, officers tried to coax the man out after seeing him moving inside the vehicle before firing at him again. The suspect eventually was pronounced dead at the scene. Manley told reporters he's viewed video of the incident from an officer's bodycam, and said other footage likely exists.

The seven officers who fired at the suspect were all placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice after officer-involved shootings. Manley said two of the officers firing their guns Monday night have worked for APD 17 years, two of them for six years, two for four years and one for five years.

The investigation, naturally, will continue. Neither the name of the suspect nor those of the seven officers have been disclosed.

From earlier:

SOUTH AUSTIN, TX — An officer-involved shooting during which a suspect was fatally shot in Southeast Austin on Monday began after a taxicab was hijacked, police said.

Officers reportedly pursued the cab after it was commandeered by an unidentified suspect Monday evening, leading first to a SWAT standoff situation along the 4900 block of Edge Creek Drive followed by an officer-involved shooting.

Prior to providing details, police used the term "officer-involved shooting" to describe the incident — typically used to describe times when a suspect is shot by a police official.

Police hadn't released details as of 9 p.m. on Monday — some three hours since the incident began — but said they would stage a media briefing later that night. There was a heavy police presence at the Onion Creek neighborhood in the aftermath of the incident took place late Monday, with at least two dozen police officials at the scene.

Patch will update this story when those details are shared.

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