By Joanna Putman
Police1
AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department released bodycam footage following a deadly officer-involved shooting of a man who pointed a gun at officers while fleeing on foot, CBS Austin reported.
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The shooting ended a suspect’s extended crime spree in northwest Austin on Nov. 7, according to the report.
The incident began when the 27-year-old suspect was spotted speeding by an officer with the Bee Cave Police Department. The officer conducted a traffic stop, but as the officer was getting out of his cruiser, the suspect drove off at a high rate of speed, according to APD. The officer briefly pursued the suspect vehicle before stopping out of concern for other drivers.
Following the pursuit, the officer contacted the vehicle’s registered owner, who turned out to be the suspect’s father, APD said during a news conference. The father informed the officer that he had just spoken with his son, who claimed to be armed and had made suicidal statements. With this information, authorities began tracking the suspect’s movements. Later, the suspect was seen at an apartment complex in his ex-girlfriend’s building, where security camera video shows him breaking into her unit while armed. He then carjacked two vehicles, first from a Starbucks parking lot and later from an H-E-B grocery store, according to the report.
Austin Police’s Violent Crimes Task Force eventually located the man near the apartment complex, where he fled on foot and pointed a gun at officers. In response, three officers and a detective fired shots, hitting the man, who later died on the scene despite EMS intervention.
“You’re seeing that this is in seconds that this is all occurring, so this is someone who is still coming up off the ground and pointing that weapon at the officers, and that’s why officers continued to fire [even when the suspect was down],” APD Chief Lisa Davis said.
The suspect, who had an extensive criminal record and was on parole, had reportedly removed his ankle monitor during the chase, according to the report. Following protocol, the involved officers have been placed on administrative leave as APD and the Travis County District Attorney’s Office conduct criminal and administrative investigations.
