Man arrested after standoff in South Austin leaves police officer injured

Ryan Maxin, Austin American-Statesman
Updated ·2 min read
An investigator takes a gun from the scene of a police shooting on Channel Island Drive in South Austin on Monday. An officer was wounded and the shooter was also injured in the incident Sunday night, Police Chief Joe Chacon said.
An investigator takes a gun from the scene of a police shooting on Channel Island Drive in South Austin on Monday. An officer was wounded and the shooter was also injured in the incident Sunday night, Police Chief Joe Chacon said.

An Austin police officer is in stable condition and a man is in custody after a shooting that led to a standoff late Sunday in South Austin.

Shortly before 9 p.m., officers responded to a welfare check call at a residence in the 10,000 block of Channel Island Drive, Austin Police Chief Joe Chacon said at a news conference Monday morning. A concerned 911 caller had told police a man had not been seen in several months.

Officers knocked on the door but no one answered, Chacon said. After identifying themselves, officers announced they were going to force their way into the house, at which point the man confronted police with a gun at his front door.

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A police vehicle with a broken window sits at the scene of the shooting Monday. A man opened fire during a wellness check, police said.
A police vehicle with a broken window sits at the scene of the shooting Monday. A man opened fire during a wellness check, police said.

Police retreated, and the man walked out his front door and began shooting, Chacon said, though he did not specify whether the man shot at police or in any particular direction. Police returned fire.

Just after 9 p.m., one of the two responding officers said he had been shot. As more officers arrived, including a SWAT team and troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety, the man retreated into his residence.

The wounded officer was treated for injuries that were not life-threatening and taken to a hospital, where he is in stable condition, Chacon said.

The man ended the standoff by surrendering around midnight and was taken into custody. Officers noticed he had been injured and took him to a hospital. Chacon said he didn't know the man's condition, though he thought the man's injuries were not life-threatening.

An investigator looks at a police vehicle with a broken window at the scene of the shooting and standoff.
An investigator looks at a police vehicle with a broken window at the scene of the shooting and standoff.

The situation appears to be an isolated incident, and police don't believe there's any threat to the public.

Both of the original responding officers fired their guns and will be placed on administrative duty in accordance with Police Department policy, Chacon said.

A criminal investigation into the incident will be conducted by the special investigations unit and overseen by Travis County District Attorney José Garza, and an administrative investigation will be conducted by the department's internal affairs division with the Office of Police Oversight, Chacon said.

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Chacon said the information he had was preliminary and that details might change as the investigations continue.

This house on Channel Island Drive in South Austin is the site of the police shooting and standoff Sunday night.
This house on Channel Island Drive in South Austin is the site of the police shooting and standoff Sunday night.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Police officer injured, man in custody after shooting in South Austin