One police officer killed, three dead after hostage situation in South Austin, APD says
In a tearful update Saturday morning, interim Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson shared information about the emergency stabbing call in South Austin that led to the fatal shooting of a police officer — though many details about the incident were left unclear and police officials did not take questions from media.
The early morning incident left three other people dead, including the assailant. Henderson said the department would not immediately identify the dead or other involved officers.
A second officer was injured but was in stable condition at Dell Seton Medical Center, Henderson said.
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At 2:49 a.m., police were dispatched to a house at 9308 Bernoulli Drive. The caller said "somebody was stabbing her," Henderson said.
Uniformed officers first arrived at the scene around 2:57 a.m.
“The officers began to gather additional information including the suspect's location,” Henderson said. “Officers were also notified that there were two other people injured inside the residence.”
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Before officers arrived, a third person was able to escape the residence and told officers the assailant still had a knife, Henderson said.
“She was subsequently transported at 3:03 a.m. by Travis County EMS to a local hospital for the injuries she sustained,” Henderson said.
Based on that information, officers entered the residence around 3 a.m. and announced their presence, identifying themselves as Austin police officers. The officers were fired upon and retreated, not returning fire, Henderson said.
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At 4:11 a.m., SWAT officers arrived and forced entry a second time. As they entered, they were immediately fired upon and one officer returned fire, Henderson said.
Henderson did not take questions, citing an ongoing investigation. Sgt. Destiny Silvia said that was because of the "sensitive nature" of the incident.
Two investigations are ongoing: one criminal investigation and one administrative review of the officers' actions, Henderson said.
Austin Police Department protocol calls for officers involved in shootings to be placed on administrative leave. It was unclear how many officers shot at the civilians and how many will be on leave.
Henderson said the incident was captured on officers' body-worn cameras. When officers are involved in shootings, the Austin Police Department typically releases body-worn camera footage, 911 audio and sometimes dashboard camera footage within 10 days of an incident. Silvia told the American-Statesman the department would let media know if officials need an extension to release the material.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: One Austin police officer killed, three dead after hostage situation
