27-year-old man found slain in shooting near Barton Springs Pool, Austin police say

Heather Osbourne, Austin American-Statesman
·3 min read
Austin police said an officer has resigned after being charged with trespassing by entering his ex-girlfriend's apartment.

The body of a man was found beside Barton Springs Pool in Zilker Park early Thursday, a killing now numbered among the more than 50 homicides reported in Austin so far this year.

Authorities at about 7:15 a.m. Thursday responded to the park, in the 2200 block of Barton Springs Road, after receiving a call from Barton Springs Pool employees saying a vehicle parked nearby had bullet holes in the window. Investigators followed a blood trail from the vehicle and found a man who had died at the scene.

Officer Demitri Hobbs, an Austin police spokesperson, clarified that the victim was not inside the pool, but on the grounds nearby. Later on Thursday, police identified the victim as 27-year-old Camnik Eugene Campbell.

"During the on-scene investigation, it was determined Campbell was shot," police said in a statement Thursday evening. "The investigation is still active and ongoing. Detectives believe this to be an isolated incident with no threat to the public."

Investigators on Thursday were looking for security footage of the killing, identifying any witnesses and collecting further evidence, according to Hobbs.

This is the second homicide investigation in as many days in popular park areas close to Lady Bird Lake near downtown in South Austin.

"Although the homicide on Aug. 24 at Auditorium Shores and this homicide are isolated incidents, APD will be increasing patrols in all city parks to help deter violent crimes," police said in their statement.

More:Morning jogger at Auditorium Shores stumbled across homicide scene, police say

On Wednesday, Austin police began investigating another homicide only a few blocks away at Auditorium Shores at Town Lake Metropolitan Park off West Riverside Drive.

Police have since accused 30-year-old Coltan Moore of bludgeoning the victim on a trail at Auditorium Shores at Town Lake Metropolitan Park near Lady Bird Lake, Austin police said Thursday.

Police responded to the scene in the 800 block of West Riverside Drive south of Lady Bird Lake at 6:53 a.m. Wednesday after a person on a morning jog stumbled across the victim, who was thought to be middle-aged and possibly experiencing homelessness, with trauma to the head, according to Austin police officer Michael Bullock. The man, whose identity was not released, was pronounced dead at the scene.

"The investigation revealed that Moore brutally assaulted the victim using large rocks, which caused fatal injuries to the victim," police said in a statement Thursday.

Moore was booked into the Travis County Jail on a charge of first-degree murder.

Homicides hit historic highs

Last week, Austin police began investigating its 49th homicide case of the year, a milestone that puts the annual total above 2020's caseload, which at the time was the highest in more than 20 years.

Police on Aug. 16 responded at 10:57 a.m. to the intersection of East Sixth and Sabine streets in downtown Austin after reports of a shooting. When officers arrived at the scene, they found 36-year-old Chester Sauls on the ground with an apparent gunshot wound. Sauls was pronounced dead at the scene.

A person of interest in the Sauls case has been identified, police said. Anyone with more information or video about this case should call the police at 512-974-8477; the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 512-472-8477, use the new Crime Stoppers App, or email Austin police at homicide.apd@austintexas.gov.

Authorities last year had tallied 89 homicides, the most such deaths since at least the 1960s, when Austin police first began keeping those kinds of records. The death toll last year was more than the number of killings in 2019, with 38 homicides, and 2020, with 48, combined.

Austin's previous record for homicides in a year had been 59 in 1984, when the homicide rate was 13.2 per 100,000 residents. While Austin's 89 homicides in 2021 were well above the 59 reported in 1984, the homicide rate last year was 9.25 per 100,000 residents. The homicide rate was 3.4 in 2019 and 4.4 in 2020.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin police investigating homicide near Barton Springs Pool