Man fatally shot by police in Northeast Austin called 911 on himself before incident

Claire Osborn, Austin American-Statesman
Updated ·2 min read
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A 63-year-old man who was shot and killed by police in Northeast Austin on Tuesday called 911 before the incident to report that there was a man in a parking lot firing a rifle, a police news release said Friday.

The caller, Konrad Farad Khorshahian, didn't say he was the man with the weapon, but Austin police determined that after his death, the news release said.

More: Man fatally shot by officer in Northeast Austin had BB gun, police say

He called 911 at 1:18 p.m. Tuesday, saying that "there is a man with a rifle in the middle of the parking lot" at 1501 E. Howard Lane — the address of the Bridge at Harris Ridge apartment complex — and that the man was shooting. The caller also said he did not know what the man was shooting at, the release said. Khorshahian hung up without providing further information, police said.

Police later determined that Khorshahian was shooting a BB gun. Officers on the scene did not know whether he was shooting a rifle or a BB gun, interim Police Chief Robin Henderson said at a news conference Tuesday.

Austin police are investigating an officer-involved shooting at the Bridge at Harris Ridge apartment complex in Northeast Austin. The victim had called 911 to report that a man was firing a rifle, and when officers arrived, he yelled that he wanted them to shoot him, police said. His "rifle" turned out to be a BB gun, police said.
Austin police are investigating an officer-involved shooting at the Bridge at Harris Ridge apartment complex in Northeast Austin. The victim had called 911 to report that a man was firing a rifle, and when officers arrived, he yelled that he wanted them to shoot him, police said. His "rifle" turned out to be a BB gun, police said.

More: Exclusive: Austin police got 2015 report on officer shooting suspect but didn't surveil him

The officer who shot Khorshahian was placed on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated, police said. The officer's name has not been released.

When police arrived at the apartment complex, Khorshahian pointed a weapon at them while they were in patrol cars, officials have said. Two officers got out of their cars and took cover behind them while Khorshahian yelled at them that he wanted them to shoot him, police said.

The officers continued to give commands, identifying themselves as Austin police officers and instructing Khorshahian to drop his weapon, according to the release.

A police helicopter was called to the location to assist officers. "Within the same minute, one of the officers announced over the police radio, 'Shots fired,' and that Mr. Khorshahian was 'down,’ ” the release said.

Footage of the shooting, which was captured on police body-worn cameras, will be released within 10 business days of the incident, per the department's policy.

Anyone with information on the incident can call the department's special investigations unit at 512-974-6840 or Capitol Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477 or submit a tip online at austincrimestoppers.org.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Man killed by police in Northeast Austin called 911 before incident