The Blotter

September 19, 2011

Man charged in North Austin shooting

An Austin man who police say shot another man in the chest Sunday night after a dispute over a crack cocaine deal has been identified as Brian Lee Berg, 39.

A police officer saw a group of men acting suspiciously under Interstate 35 near Rundberg Lane in North Austin when he heard a gunshot and saw the group disperse, according to an arrest affidavit. One of the men was fleeing with his hand on his chest, the document said.

The officer was able to stop the men, including Berg and the victim, who had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was had an exit wound in his back, the affidavit said.

The victim, whose identity has not been released, was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge last night in critical condition, police said Sunday night.

The officer located a weapon on Berg and additional ammunition, the affidavit said.

A witness said a dispute between Berg and the victim over a crack cocaine deal preceded the shooting, the affidavit said.

Berg was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and is in the Travis County Jail on $500,000 bail, according to jail records.

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September 18, 2011

North Austin shooting injures one man

Police said one man is in critical condition tonight after being shot by another man in North Austin.

Cpl. Scott Perry said an officer near Rundberg Lane and Interstate 35 heard the shots while on patrol. The officer drove toward the overpass at the intersection of Rundberg and I-35 and saw a man running away, Perry said.

A short foot chase ended with the officer arresting the man in connection with the shooting. He has not been charged, Perry said. A short while later, police learned that a 30-year-old male had been shot and taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge. He remains in critical condition.

Perry said that although there are public safety cameras in the area, it is not yet known if the incident was recorded. Law enforcement officials are reviewing the case, he said.

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September 2, 2011

Killeen police seek man wanted in connection with shooting

FROM THE KILLEEN POLICE DEPARTMENT:

Killeen Police are looking for a man who is wanted in connection with the early morning shooting that occurred on Saturday, August 20, 2011.

Officers responded to the area of Nathan Dr. and Seaman Dr. just before 3:30am to find two gunshot victims. The witnesses told officers there was a fight in the area and shots were fired from an unknown person in the crowd. As the onlookers were running from the fight the two injured men were located.

During the investigation detectives were able to determine who the person was that fired the weapon and injured the two men. The case was reviewed by the Bell County District Attorney’s Office; they returned complaints charging 22 year old Gary Sanchez Nichols with two counts of Aggravated Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. Justice of the Peace Bill Cooke issued warrants for his arrest.

Gary Sanchez Nichols is described as a black male with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 5’7” tall and weighs 190 pounds. He is known to travel in a black Cadillac or a gray Dodge Charger with tinted window; this vehicle belongs to his brother who goes by the alias of “Heavy”. NICHOLS IS CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS!

Detectives are asking anyone who knows the whereabouts of Gary Nichols to contact Crime Stoppers at 526-TIPS or go online at www.killeencrimestoppers.com or text KILLEEN along with the tip to 274637 (CRIMES). All information is confidential and anonymous; if your tip results in the arrest of Nichols you could be eligible for a reward up to $1,000 in cash.

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August 24, 2011

2 separate Killeen shootings leave man, woman dead

FROM THE KILLEEN POLICE DEPARTMENT:

Killeen Police are investigating two separate shooting incidents that occurred in Killeen overnight leaving two people deceased.

The first incident occurred near the intersection of Conder Street and Zephyr Road at around 9:49 pm. Officers responded to a report of shots fired and located a 41 year old black male in a vehicle that had crashed through a fence and into the backyard of a residence. The male was suffering from a gunshot wound to the torso.

He was transported to Darnall Army Medical Center by Killeen FD EMS and ultimately succumbed to his wound. He was pronounced deceased at 10:58 pm by Justice of the Peace Garland Potvin. The body has been sent to Dallas for an autopsy. The name of the male victim is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The second incident occurred in the 1300 Block of Monroe Loop. At approximately 12:12 am officers were dispatched to this location in reference to a shooting victim. Witnesses reported hearing gunshots then seeing the victim lying on the ground near the sidewalk. Responding officers located a 20 year old white female who had apparently been shot.

The victim was transported to Darnall Army Medical Center by Killeen FD EMS. Justice of the Peace Garland Potvin later pronounced the female deceased at 1:34am. Her body has been sent to Dallas for an autopsy. The female victim’s identity is also being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

At this time there is no indication that these two incidents are related.

Update: The victim in the first shooting incident (Conder Street & Zephyr Road) has been identified as Dominic Allen Davis, aged 41 of Killeen.

The identification of the second victim (Monroe Loop) is still being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.

Detectives are asking anyone who has information about these shootings are asked to contact the Police Department at 254-501-8800 or to contact Killeen Crime Stoppers by calling 526-TIPS (8477), by going online at http://www.killeencrimestoppers.com or by texting KILLEEN with the tip to 274637 (CRIMES). All information submitted to Crime Stoppers is confidential and you can remain anonymous. If your tip results in the arrest of the person(s) responsible for this crime you could be eligible for a reward up to $1,000 in cash.

For accurate and timely information you can now follow the Killeen Police Department with KPD Connect, http://www.facebook.com/KilleenPD and http://twitter.com/killeenpd

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August 15, 2011

Robbery suspect arrested after shots fired on S. Congress

An armed robbery suspect was in custody Monday night after two officers fired at the fleeing man on S. Congress Avenue, police said.

The man robbed a Valero gas station at 4:50 p.m. at 3530 S. Congress Ave, police said, and an officer saw the suspect running toward the nearby Bel-Air Motel. When the officer saw the suspect pull out a gun, he shot at the suspect through the passenger window of his patrol car, officials said. It was unclear how many shots were fired, and the suspect was not hit, police said.

Another officer witnessed the shooting and also fired at the suspect near Lightsey Road, officials said. The man again was not hit and continued to flee, officials said. The suspect was later arrested in the 3100 block of Fontana Drive a few blocks away after being shot with a Taser, they said.

Police said that a semi-automatic weapon was found on the suspect. No one was injured in the incident, police said.

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August 2, 2011

Home intruder shot in Johnson City, in critical condition

A Johnson City man was shot in the chest as he was rummaging through a home he had broken into early Monday morning, police said today.

Johnson City police say Christopher Ricketts, 23, entered an unlocked home near the intersection of Avenue G and Ash Street about 1:30 a.m. and woke the homeowner while rummaging around.

The homeowner, whose name has not been released, fired a 9 MM pistol at Ricketts and struck him in the chest, according to police. Ricketts was flown to University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin where he remains in critical but stable condition, police said.

Police added that Ricketts biked to the home and had a back pack with a sock and screwdriver inside.

“This case involving the home invasion and home owner shooting the intruder appears to be justified, however Johnson City Police Department will submit this case to the district attorney and present the facts to a grand jury in Blanco County, Texas,” police Chief Randy Holland said. “I can only hope and pray that would-be criminals everywhere are deterred by this incident.”

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July 26, 2011

Police look for vehicle connected to South Congress shooting

Update 8:20 a.m.: The victim and suspect in a shooting last night on South Congress Avenue may have known each other, an Austin police official said Wednesday morning.

Police say the suspect vehicle has been described to be an older model black, two-door Honda Accord, the official said.

A man, who has not yet been identified, was shot in the head about 9 p.m. near the Austin Motel, police officials said. Police believe the victim was shot while riding as a passenger in a vehicle, police have said.

Austin police responding to another call across the street responded to the scene soon after, a police official said this morning.

The victim was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge last night in critical condition, police officials have said.

Earlier: One man was in critical condition Tuesday after police said he was shot in the head near the Austin Motel on South Congress Avenue around 9 p.m., according to police.

Austin Sgt. Robert Hawkins said police found a man frantically waving for help in the 1400 block of South Congress. Police believe the victim was shot inside the car near the Austin Motel and the driver pulled over about a block later to seek help, Hawkins said. The victim was riding in the passenger seat of the car, Hawkins said.

Because witness accounts were limited Tuesday night, no suspect had been identified or arrested, Hawkins said. He said they did not know the motive of the shooting.

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July 6, 2011

Temple police seek shooting suspect

FROM THE TEMPLE POLICE DEPARTMENT:

Last night, at about 7:55 pm, Temple Police responded to a residence in the 700 block of North 4th Street, to a report of shots fired. Officers arrived to find several people on the front porch of the house. One person, an adult male, had been shot in the back. He was taken to Scott and White Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Officers learned that the group of people had been on the front porch of the house when a pickup truck pulled up to the front of the house. A suspect who knew the victim, and was upset with him, then produced a handgun and fired multiple shots toward the victim and his group, striking the victim in the back. No one else was injured.

The suspect then fled in the truck, and was not located last night.

The victim is identified as Allen McKinzy, a 30-year-old Temple man.

Investigators responded to the scene, and stayed for several hours to gather facts and evidence as to whom fired the shots, and why. The investigation continues.

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June 20, 2011

12-year-old injured in northeast Travis County shooting

A 12-year-old boy was shot overnight at a home on Howard Lane in Northeast Travis County, officials said.

The shooting occurred at the home on Howard Lane near Greinert Drive about midnight, sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Wes Priddy said. The boy was taken to Dell Children’s Medical Center and is in stable condition, Priddy said.

The boy’s brother, Edward Beiza Rogel, 24, was taken into custody today and charged with injury to a child, Priddy said.

He is in the Travis County Jail on $250,000 bail.

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June 9, 2011

Killeen police investigating shooting

FROM THE KILLEEN POLICE DEPARTMENT:

Killeen Police are investigating a shooting that occurred in the 3800 block of W. Stan Schlueter Blvd just before 7:00pm on Wednesday, June 8, 2011.

Officers responded to a fight involving two males in the 3800 block of W. Stan Schlueter Blvd at 6:53pm. As the officers were responding to the area they were advised that the altercation now involved a male that had been shot. Officers arrived and located a male in the 3800 block of Gus Dr. with a gunshot wound to the lower leg. The preliminary investigation revealed that four black males were fighting in the parking lot of the Valero when a weapon was displayed and shots were fired in the area. One of the males fled the area on foot towards the 3800 block of Gus Dr. where he was located with a gunshot wound to the leg. The only information on the suspects is that both black males are 5’9” tall and weighs approximately 140 pounds; one suspect has dreadlocks and the other has gold teeth. Both suspects were last seen in a gray or silver sedan and are considered armed.

The 18 year old shooting victim was transported to the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center and later transferred to Scott & White Memorial Hospital with a non life threatening injury.

Detectives are asking anyone who has information about this shooting to call Crime Stoppers at 526-TIPS, go online at www.killeencrimestoppers.com or text the word KILLEEN along with the tip to 274637; if your tip results in the arrest of the person or persons responsible you could be eligible for a cash reward up to $1,000.

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May 31, 2011

Officials: One suspect dead in officer-involved shooting; 1 officer injured

This version updates with corrected information from last night’s press conference. Chief Art Acevedo said the press conference never mentioned the stealing of cars.

Byron Carter Jr.

Update: Relatives of a Pflugerville man say the suspect killed in an overnight officer-involved shooting is 20-year-old Byron Carter Jr.

Police have not yet released the name of the suspect, or the names of any of the other individuals involved in the incident.

The incident started at about 11 p.m., when two Austin police officers on bicycle patrol who were in the area as part of an initiative to prevent vehicle burglaries spotted two men acting suspiciously. The officers followed the two men and ended up in a confrontation with them, police have said.

The bicycle patrol officers, while looking for the suspects, were charged by the suspects’ vehicle near Interstate 35 and Eighth Street. One of the officers fired at the suspects’ vehicle, police said.

After the officers were charged by the suspects’ vehicle, one officer suffered a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, while a second suspect, who was later caught, had suffered a gunshot wound to the arm after the shooting, police have said.

At the scene early Monday, Carter’s relatives said they were in disbelief he was gone. The relatives had arrived to the scene, close to the Austin Police Department, around 5 a.m. to talk to police, they said.

Gloria Clark identified herself Monday morning as one of Carter’s grandmothers. She said she, along with Carter’s other grandmother, helped raise the Pflugerville resident.

Following the incident, “His other grandmother called me screaming,” Clark said. “She said she thinks Byron is dead.”

Other relatives to Carter, including his father Byron Carter Sr. and several cousins, were also at the scene Monday morning and spoke to members of the media.

“Byron was quiet. He was a real nice guy,” Clark said. “He didn’t start trouble.”

Clark said Carter had been “running with the wrong crowd, but there’s no way he would steal a car.”

Byron Carter Sr. said his son attended a high school in Pflugerville “for a while.”

Update: Two Austin police officers on bicycle patrol tracking two men as part of an initiative to prevent vehicle burglaries downtown ended up in a confrontation that left one suspect dead and one in custody late Monday, police said.

The confrontation also left one police officer in stable condition at University Medical Center at Brackenridge with a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, police said.

Police Chief Art Acevedo said the two officers were patrolling the area as part of an initiative to prevent vehicle burglaries around 11 p.m. last night when they found two men walking around Seventh Street acting suspiciously.

The officers saw two men suspected of casing cars and followed them until they lost them, Acevedo said.

The officers got off their bikes and proceeded on foot until they walked up to the suspects in a vehicle on Eighth Street, the police chief said. But the officers could not see that the men were inside the vehicle, and it drove toward one of the officers and hit him, Acevedo said.

In the process, the suspects’ vehicle hit a Jeep parked in front of it and the other officer became pinned against the Jeep, Acevedo said.

The officer pinned against the Jeep, fearing that his partner would be dragged underneath the suspects’ vehicle, fired several shots at the vehicle, which fled, Acevedo said.

The shots were fired at 11:07 p.m., Acevedo said. Police found the suspects’ vehicle at 11:19 p.m. several blocks away, the chief said. The driver had fled, but the passenger was inside the vehicle and was pronounced dead on the scene at 11:30 p.m., Acevedo said.

Police found the driver with a gunshot wound to his arm in a UT baseball parking lot near Interstate 35 and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard,, Acevedo said.

The man was arrested at 12:16 a.m. today without incident and taken to University Medical Center at Brackenridge. The officer who was struck by the suspects’ vehicle was the one who sustained a ruptured tendon and was taken to the hospital, Acevedo said.

The suspects’ names were not released. The names of the officers involved were also not released. The officer who fired the shots has been with the Police Department for three and a half years and was placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure, Acevedo said.

Acevedo said he did not know if the vehicle the suspects were driving was stolen. He also said there was no camera at the scene to record the incident because the officers were on bikes.

Earlier: Officials are on the scene of an officer-involved shooting near police headquarters downtown. One suspect is dead.

An EMS official said that an officer was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge with injuries that were not life-threatening after the officer was struck by a car.

More to come on this developing story.

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May 25, 2011

Neighbor charged with murder in domestic dispute

UPDATE: FROM THE KILLEEN POLICE DEPARTMENT: This case was screened by the Bell County District Attorney’s office, who issued a complaint charging Juston Cole Fletcher, 22, of Killeen with Murder. Fletcher was arraigned by JP Potvin, who set bail at $1,000,000. Fletcher was transfered to the Bell County Jail.

EARLIER: FROM THE KILLEEN POLICE DEPARTMENT:

On Monday, May 23, 2011, at approximately 10:45 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 1300 block of Wales Drive in reference to a domestic disturbance. While in route, officers were advised that a shot was fired. Witnesses advised that a neighbor intervened during the dispute between a husband and wife and the husband was shot.

Upon arrival, officers made contact with a male, who had been shot in the torso. The victim was transported to Metroplex, where he subsequently died. The victim was pronounced deceased by JP Cooke at 11:59 p.m.

The victim in this incident has been identified as Anthony Duane Paxson, 23, of Killeen. JP Cooke ordered an autopsy and case continues to be investigated. Once the investigation has been reviewed by the DA’s office, further information will be released.

A white male was arrested on scene. The case continues to be investigated and further information will be released as it becomes available.

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May 10, 2011

Police chief: Gunman threatened officers

Update: Police have identified the suspect who was shot by police Monday as 30-year-old Gilberto Vallejo.

11:30 a.m. Monday update:

Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said that the man who was killed by police this morning had threatened officers with a weapon.

When officers encountered the man, who had been firing shots at a Southeast Austin apartment unit, he pointed a weapon at them in “a menacing and threatening manner and fired at least one round,” Acevedo said. The identity of the gunman has not been released.

The police chief said that the women who lived in the apartment unit had reported to police feeling threatened by the man at least twice before. The first incident was April 22, and that incident remains under investigation, Acevedo said. He said the man had been harassing her but made no specific threats.

At 9:21 p.m. Sunday, the woman called 911 and told dispatchers that she had seen the man in the complex but that she no longer saw him, and that she was safely in her home.

Acevedo identified the officer who fired at the gunman as Steven Pena, who has been on the force for three years. Acevedo commended Pena.

9:15 a.m. update:

Ray Robledo, a resident at the English Aire Apartments, said the sound of gunfire awoke him late in the night, and he saw the events unfold. He said he witnessed Austin police shoot the suspect with an apparent shotgun, but that he didn’t feel in danger during the shooting.

“That dude was going crazy,” he said. “But it was over in a matter of seconds.”

Another resident, 15-year-old Francisco Coronel, said he was about to go to sleep when he heard a woman scream, “La pistola, la pistola.” He said there was an obvious pause while the gunman must have been reloading his gun, but the firing quickly resumed. Two minutes later, he said he heard police on the scene.

“It was crazy, but I just went back to bed,” Coronel said.

Update 4:15 a.m.: Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said a man shot by an officer early today has died at University Medical Center Brackenridge. He is described as a 29-year-old Hispanic male.

Acevedo said during a news briefing that the man came to the apartment complex on Burton Drive and began firing into the apartment of his ex-girlfriend shortly after 1 a.m.

Officers received several 911 calls, and when two officers arrived three minutes later, the suspect continued shooting, police said. That is when one of the officers fired, according to police.

Acevedo said that a woman, her husband and a 2-year-old boy were in the apartment while shots were being fired and that they all shared the home with the woman’s mother —- the man’s ex-girlfriend.

No one else was injured.

Police said the man and woman recently broke up and that she had been alarmed at his behavior.

Acevedo said that investigators have useful audio of the encounter between officers and the suspect, but that the incident was not in camera range.

Update 2:30 a.m.: Some information about what preceded the officer-involved shooting: Around 1 a.m., police received a report of a disturbance with a gun at the English Aire Apartments and initiated a “hotshot” response in which officers converged at the scene with lights and sirens. Numerous police officers and police officials, including police chief Art Acevedo, are at the apartment complex. Acevedo is expected to conduct a briefing in the next hour. City Manager Marc Ott and Assistant City Manager Michael McDonald also are at the scene.

Earlier: An Austin police officer shot a suspect early today at an apartment complex in Southeast Austin, authorities said. The suspect was reported to be in serious condition when taken to University Medical Center at Brackenridge.

The shooting occurred at 1919 Burton Drive, authorities said. That’s the address of English Aire Apartments.

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April 28, 2011

Austin officers no billed in fatal shooting

A Travis County grand jury declined to indict an Austin police officer who fatally shot 26-year-old Howard Hanh Huynh in North Austin last year after Huynh shot and killed his roommate.

Officers responded to a call of a shooting at 12320 Tomanet Trail on Nov. 2 and as they attempted to go inside the home, Huynh fired twice at officers, according to a statement released by Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg. Officer Jason Martin returned fire, did not injure anyone, and also was no billed by a grand jury Thursday.

Phu Vinh Truong, Huynh’s 26-year-old roommate was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head, according to the district attorney’s office.

According to the release, a neighbor was shot in the stomach by Huynh, who was attempting to flee, and officers tracked him to a nearby Jaguar car dealership at the intersection of MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) and Parmer Lane.

The statement said Officer Will Ray and two other officers cornered Huynh, and that Huynh raised a rifle. Ray had a shotgun and fired four times at Huynh, killing him. Ray was no billed today.

A toxicology report showed Huynh’s blood alcohol level at .20, more than twice the legal limit to drive a vehicle in Texas.

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April 21, 2011

Man charged with capital murder in March shooting

A man was arrested and charged Wednesday in last month’s deadly shooting of 21-year-old Joshua Overly, according to an arrest affidavit.

The document states that Overly and a friend met 22-year-old Joshua Montgomery, at right, who they knew only as “Lil Free,” on March 31 in Southeast Austin to buy drugs. Police said they received a call reporting a shooting about 2:30 p.m. and found Overly’s body in the passenger seat of a white vehicle in the parking lot at the Mountain Ranch Apartments on Willow Hill Drive, off of Riverside Drive.

The witness told police that the drug transaction was made in the white vehicle with Montgomery in the back seat, the affidavit says. It says Montgomery pulled out a handgun and that as Overly’s friend was running away, he heard gun shots. Police said they did not find drugs or a gun in the car.

A cell phone used to discuss the drug purchase was tracked to an apartment on W. William Cannon Drive, where police said Montgomery had gone after the shooting to shower and change, according to the affidavit.

Montgomery was interviewed April 2 and was arrested Wednesday, according to court records. He is charged with capital murder and remains in the Travis County Jail with bail set at $400,000.

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April 12, 2011

Man who police say fired gun at apartment party Sunday arrested

A man who police say fired several shots at a party Sunday at a South Austin apartment complex was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, an arrest affidavit said.

Sean Patrick Flanagan, 31, fired at least four shots toward 25 to 30 people during a party at apartments at 2928 Barton Skyway, the affidavit said.

Witnesses said Flanagan, who was not invited and was “extremely intoxicated and belligerent,” was asked to leave the pool party, the affidavit said.

Flanagan left, but returned later, firing a weapon from about 50 feet away, the affidavit said.

Several people charged Flanagan as he attempted to reload, took the weapon and restrained him until police arrived, the affidavit said. There were no injuries reported.

Flanagan remained jailed Tuesday afternoon on $50,000 bail, according to jail records.

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April 10, 2011

Killeen police investigate shooting death of 15-year-old

UPDATE: Killeen police have identified the shooting victim as 15-year-old Austin Taylor McCormick of Killeen. The woman who was being held Saturday, 22-year-old Lisa Marie Harrell, has been charged with manslaughter and remains in the Bell County Jail with bail set at 1 million.

FROM THE KILLEEN POLICE DEPARTMENT:

Killeen Police are investigating the shooting death of a 15 year old child during the early morning hours on Saturday, April 09, 2011.

Officers responded to 2605 Taft St. at 12:49am after receiving a 911 call advising someone had been shot. Officers arrived to find the male victim inside the house with a gunshot wound. Justice of the Peace Bill Cooke pronounced him deceased at 1:20am and ordered an autopsy to be performed at the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas.

During the investigation a 22 year old female was identified as being involved in this incident and was subsequently taken into custody. Detectives continue to investigate the events surrounding this death and will take the case to be reviewed by the Bell County District Attorney’s Office on Sunday, April 10, 2011.

The name of the juvenile has been withheld pending notification of his next of kin.

The name of the female involved will not be released until formal charges have been returned by the Bell County District Attorney’s Office.

This case continues to be investigated and information will be released as it become available.

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March 31, 2011

Police investigating suspected fatal shooting in Southeast Austin

6:30 p.m. update:

Police believe that a person of interest in the suspicious death in Southeast Austin this afternoon is named “Lil Free” and say he could be driving a money-green Dodge Intrepid with mirror tint.

They say he was last seen wearing a white, hooded sweatshirt with a red shirt, baseball cap and blue jean shorts. Police said “Lil Free” is a black, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and is in his mid-20’s.

Earlier:

Police are searching for a possible suspect in a suspicious death this afternoon on Willow Hill Drive near East Riverside Drive, officials said.

Police said they received a call from inside of an O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store from a man who they said was hysterical and wanted police to check on his friend. Police went to the parking lot of the nearby Mountain Ranch Apartments and found a man dead in a car with a suspected gunshot wound, police said. Police are looking for a possible suspect, who fled on foot, but did not have a detailed description.

The victim was found in the passenger seat of a white vehicle and was in his 20s, said Cpl. Anthony Hipolito.

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March 8, 2011

Man injured in shooting, crash

Police are searching for suspects involved in a shooting that injured a driver this morning in North Austin.

A man was driving east on West St. Johns Ave. in a white pickup about 2 a.m. when a Honda Civic pulled up next to him and someone fired shots, said Cpl. Anthony Hipolito. The driver of the truck was hit and the truck struck a pole in the 100 block of St. Johns, Hipolito said.

The driver was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge with injuries that were not life threatening, he said.

Police said they are still investigating the shooting.

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February 14, 2011

Man charged in shooting at UT frat house

A University of Texas student who officials say fired a shotgun as firefighters responded to a call at the Kappa Alpha Order house last week has been charged with deadly conduct, according to an arrest affidavit and school records.

James Harlan Bayless, 22, has been charged with the third-degree felony, but he is not listed in the Travis County Jail today, records show.

About 3 a.m. Friday, Austin firefighters responded to an alarm at the sprawling two-story house at 2515 Leon St. near campus, the affidavit said. Four firefighters who went up stairs discovered Bayless, who fired a round from his shotgun, the affidavit said.

“The firemen took cover for an instant,” the affidavit said. “They got up and went to the room to see if anyone was injured. As they approached the door, they saw James holding the shotgun.”

Bayless left the room, the affidavit said, and officers later located him on the roof.

There were no injuries reported. Police discovered shotgun damage to a laundry room door and to laundry machines, the affidavit said.

Bayless, a senior mechanical engineering student, is listed as an active member of the fraternity, according to the fraternity’s website and school records.

Kevin Mitchell, president of UT chapter for Kappa Alpha Order, declined to comment.

“I have been advised not to comment at all,” Mitchell said.

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February 8, 2011

Officer-involved shooting reported near Hutto High

HUTTO — A driver who led authorities on a high-speed chase and twice tried to run over officers was shot and wounded Tuesday night near Hutto High School, officials said.

Sgt. John Foster of the Williamson County sheriff’s office said the driver, whose name and age were not released, was hospitalized with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

The chase ended in the school parking lot as baseball, soccer and softball games were being played nearby, district officials said in a statement. All students and athletes in the area were taken to the nearby field house, which was locked down for safety, the statement said.

Foster said the incident began at 6:48 p.m. in Taylor when police received a 911 call about a reckless driver. When officers attempted to pull the sport-utility vehicle over, the driver fled west on U.S. 79 at a high speed toward Hutto, he said.

Officers tried several times to use stop sticks on the vehicle, but the driver avoided them by going into oncoming traffic, Foster said. Involved in the pursuit were vehicles from the Hutto and Taylor police departments, the sheriff’s office and the Department of Public Safety, he said.

As the chase continued in a heavily populated area near Hutto High, the suspect was driving across residents’ lawns and twice tried to run over officers, Foster said. Both officers fired at the driver, he said, but it was not clear who hit the driver.

Foster would not say which officer was the first to shoot at the suspect but said a DPS trooper fired at the SUV after the suspect rammed into the trooper’s patrol car. After that wreck, the suspect pulled into the school parking lot because the SUV was no longer drivable, Foster said. The driver was then detained and taken to a hospital.

Witnesses at the high school said they saw about 30 police cars chasing the SUV and heard shots being fired.

Foster said that sheriff’s officials and the Texas Rangers are investigating the incident.

“The good thing is that everyone is safe tonight,” he said. “It’s obvious the suspect had no respect for anyone pursuing him.”

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January 26, 2011

Possible robbery witness sought; police say suspect later killed clerk

Austin police are seeing the public’s help in identifying the man who shot 41-year-old Azizali Momin in a Southeast Austin convenience store last week.

Police said the suspect in Thursday’s shooting at the All Star Grocery at 4600 Teri Road could also be the same man who robbed a Shell gas station at 1211 Montopolis Drive on Jan. 16.

The suspect shot Momin after he demanded cash and left the store on foot with an amount of cash that police would not disclose.

Police have released a photo of a possible witness to the gas station robbery and a vehicle in which he was traveling the night of Jan. 16. Police hope that the witness can help identify the shooter. Those photos are pictured at right.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information that will lead to an arrest of the suspect, and an anonymous source has additionally offered a $10,000 award. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers, 24 hours a day, at 512-472-TIPS or text “Tip 103” + your message to CRIMES.

Police have described the suspect as a black male, about 6 feet tall or taller with a heavy build and he was last seen wearing a blue hoodie style jacket.

This is Austin’s 1st murder of 2011.

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January 17, 2011

Man's body found in Kyle mobile home park

A 36-year-old man was found dead early Monday in a mobile home community in Kyle, a police official said.

At 4:10 a.m., Kyle police received several calls of shots fired at the Aztec Mobile Home Park located near Interstate 35 and Post Road, chief Michael Blake said in a statement.

Police who arrived at the mobile home park at 291 Roland Lane found the body of a man lying near a vacant mobile home, Blake said. The man, who had suffered a gun shot wound, was pronounced dead by Justice of the Peace Beth Smith, Blake said.

The man was identified as Gabriel Vasquez, a resident of the mobile home park, Blake said.

Police have not identified any motive or possible suspects in the shooting, Blake said.

Police have asked anyone with information regarding this homicide to contact the Kyle Police Department at 512-268-3232.

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January 7, 2011

Police ID man who shot himself outside Kyle ER

According to announcement by the Kyle Police Department:

Kyle - Kyle Police have identified the man who committed suicide on Thursday as Roy Lyman May, 57. May died by an apparent self inflicted gunshot wound. He resided in Kyle with family members and had previously lived in Arkansas.

The Kyle Police Department responded at 2:15 pm on Thursday to a report of an attempted suicide on the grounds just outside the emergency room at Seton Medical Center - Hays in Kyle.

When officers arrived at the scene, the victim was already inside the hospital receiving treatment for a gun shot wound to the chest from medical staff.

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Police investigate overnight shooting at strip club

Austin police are investigating an overnight shooting at a South Austin strip club that left two men injured, police officials said.

The shooting occurred following a disturbance between two men at the Palazio Men’s Club at 501 East Ben White Boulevard around closing time for the establishment, the official said.Officers were called to the scene at 2:23 a.m., an official said.

The two men argued, and one man beat up the other, the official said. The man who was injured went to his vehicle to retrieve a weapon and shot the other man, the official said.

Both men were taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge for their injuries, an official said. The man who was shot suffered non-life threatening injuries, the official said.

Charges are expected to be filed in this case, the official said.

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January 6, 2011

Pflugerville clerk shot; police charge two juveniles

Jan. 6 Update: Two male juveniles are in custody and are facing charges following a shooting in Pflugerville on Wednesday evening that left one man injured, said Jim McLean, the city’s assistant police chief.

Both juveniles are suspects in a shooting at the Quick Trip convenience store at 100 W. Pecan St. that sent the store clerk to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest, McLean said.

The juveniles have been charged with attempted capital murder and aggravated robbery, McLean said. Both are being held at the Gardner Betts Juvenile Justice Center, he said.

The clerk, a male, was in stable condition Thursday morning at St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, he said.

Since they are juveniles, the identities of the suspects will not be released, McLean said. A third suspect in the case last night was released after police discovered he was not connected to the shooting, he said.

“We thought that there was (a connection), but after we talk to him, we ruled him out,” McLean said.

Police are also in the process of locating the weapon used in the robbery, McLean said. Police believe the weapon was thrown somewhere between the store and a house the juveniles were headed for, he said.

Police did not have any specifics on the weapon other than to say it was a handgun, McLean said.

Earlier: A Pflugerville man was shot and seriously injured tonight when two juveniles robbed the Quick Trip convenience store at 100 W. Pecan St., said Jim McLean, the city’s assistant police chief.

McLean said officers were responding to the area after a first robbery was reported about 7:35 p.m. at 800 W. Pecan St. at another convenience store. The suspects fled to the Quick Trip, where they robbed again, and a man who worked at the store was shot, McLean said.

The man was taken to a nearby hospital, but McLean did not know which one or where on his body the man was shot.

“As officers were responding to the area after first robbery, they caught one of the suspects as he was running from the second robbery,” McLean said. “We have another person of interest that we are talking to right now. Both are juveniles so there’s not much we can say.”

He said police are still searching the area for any other possible suspects.

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December 31, 2010

Suspect shot by resident in Killeen, police said

A Killeen man shot a suspect who tried to burglarize his home this morning, a police spokeswoman said.

Police went to 3005 Cantabrian Drive just before 8 a.m. after the man called 911 to report that a man had kicked in the apartment’s door. The resident shot the suspect, who then ran outside and through a field, Killeen police spokeswoman Carroll Smith said.

Police apprehended the suspect, 23-year-old David Rashad Sims. He was taken by ambulance to Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the leg and later transferred to Scott & White Memorial Hospital.

Sims was released from the hospital and is in the Bell County Jail, charged with burglary of a habitation and a $50,000 bail.

Police are not releasing the name of the resident.

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Officer shot in foot by misfired weapon, police said

An Austin police officer accidentally shot another officer in the foot during a search of a South Austin apartment this morning, an official said.

Officers responded to a 911 call at 2:20 a.m. at 744 West William Cannon, said Cpl. Anthony Hipolito. The officers saw blood by the front door, and entered the apartment to check the welfare of any occupants, he said.

While trying to search an attic space, an officer got on a table then fell from it, Hipolito said. As he hit the floor, his gun went off, striking another officer in the foot, he said. The officer was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge and has been released, he said. The police department is investigating the incident — as it does any time an officer discharges a weapon — and is not yet releasing the names of the two officers, he said.

No occupants or signs of criminal activity were found in the apartment, he said.

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December 30, 2010

Intruder in shooting dead, police said

John Joseph Debrecht, 63, the man connected to a deadly shooting in southwestern Travis County on Monday, died this morning, a Travis County sheriff’s official said.

Debrecht was pronounced dead at University Medical Center Brackenridge, the official said. He suffered a gunshot wound following a struggle at the home of musician Bill Maddox in the early morning hours Monday, authorities have said. Maddox, who also suffered a gunshot wound, was declared dead at the scene, authorities have said.

Debrecht was seriously injured and taken by STAR flight helicopter to Brackenridge where he remained in critical condition in recent days, authorities have said.

Initially, deputies were called to the scene of Maddox’s home at the 9200 block of Rock Way Drive around 7:30 a.m. Monday for a burglary in progress, authorities have said. Authorities said Debrecht, who lived nearby, was reported to be the intruder in Maddox’s home.

The incident, however, may have been the result of a tragic misunderstanding and not an attempted burglary, friends and relatives of both men said earlier this week.

The shooting has rocked the quiet Scenic Brook neighborhood where the two men involved in the incident lived and left a close circle of friends and family in mourning. The two men did not know each other, though they lived about a half mile from each other, according to authorities.

Earlier this week, friends and relatives described Debrecht as a “kind and gentle” man who was a father of four, an avid runner and a longtime member of an area Catholic church.

Rita Wright, whose son is married to one of Debrecht’s children, said Tuesday he suffered from an illness and had struggled taking medications recently.

“Maybe he was confused and thought that was his home,” she said. “He was very religious. He would not have robbed anyone. He would not have killed anyone. He would have gone out of his way to help someone.”

Wright described Debrecht as “a very sweet man” who might have been confused during Monday’s incident.

“This is a tragedy for both families, not just for one,” she said.

At St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Southwest Austin on Tuesday, parishioners prayed for Debrecht, a member of the church since it was started in 1979, said friend Angela Hoyer.

Hoyer, 70, who said she has known Debrecht for 30 years, described him as “very quiet” and said his family was active with the church.

Debrecht’s wife, Linda, worked at the church office for several years but retired recently to spend more time with their growing family, which included grandchildren, Hoyer said.

Debrecht was a retired engineer, she said.

“It’s so surreal,” Hoyer said Tuesday. “It’s God, family and then work. That’s how he and his wife live their life.”

Officials said it could be weeks until the investigation is completed as detectives await results from the medical examiner and witness interviews.

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December 27, 2010

Musician killed in western Travis County shooting

UPDATE:

The man who was fatally shot during a home burglary today was identified as Bill Maddox, a former drummer for guitarist Eric Johnson, according to Johnson’s manager, Joe Priesnitz.

EARLIER:

Two people were shot, one fatally, during a burglary at a home on Rock Way Drive off U.S. 290 west of the Y in western Travis County, Travis County sheriff’s officials said.

Sheriff’s spokesman Roger Wade said he had limited details about the burglary that occurred around 7:30 a.m. in the 9200 block of Rock Way Drive, a secluded cul-de-sac in the Oak Hill area.

Wade said he did not know the ages or genders of the people who were shot. He said that one of the people who was shot was an intruder, but he would not say whether that person had been killed. He gave assurances that neighbors should not have to worry about a suspect on the loose.

“We believe everything is contained at the house,” he said.

Detectives are still talking to witnesses and collecting evidence at the scene.

The injured person has been taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge, Wade said.

Emergency responders said they were paged to the scene to assist two people who had suffered “penetrating trauma,” said Jeffrey Wittig, assistant fire chief for Emergency Service District No. 3, which covers the Oak Hill area.

Wittig said both were reported to have suffered gunshot wounds, and both were treated at the scene. At least one person was taken by Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services STAR Flight helicopter to a nearby hospital, Wittig said.

“We proceeded to work on them medically,” Wittig said.

Wittig couldn’t immediately say if the people were residents of the home, or their ages or gender.

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December 9, 2010

Temple man and woman found dead, boy injured

Temple police said today that a man and a woman were found shot to death and a boy was shot in the head Wednesday night.

Police were called to the Twin Oaks Apartments at 601 Twin Oaks Drive about 7 p.m. after family members said they found 27-year-old Veasna Prok and 23-year-old Chanry Sophy shot to death. Both were from Temple and suffered gun shot wounds to the head, according to police.

A 5-year-old boy was also found at the scene with blood stains on him, but it wasn’t until he was evaluated at a hospital that officials found he had been shot in his head, police said.

Family members told police they became concerned when had not heard from Prok or Sophy for a while, police said. They had been dead about one day, according to police.

Police said they are still investigating the case and do not believe there is a suspect missing.

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December 3, 2010

Police investigating man shot in street

FROM THE KILLEEN POLICE DEPARTMENT:

Killeen Police are investigating a shooting that occurred in the 2000 block of Watercrest Dr. today, December 3, 2010, just after 4:30pm.

Officers responded to a 911 call at 4:40pm advising a man had been shot several times and he was lying in the roadway. Officers arrived at Prestige and Watercrest to find a 26 year old black male lying by a white Ford Crown Victoria suffering from gunshot wounds; another male was giving aid to the victim when the officers arrived. The victim was airlifted to Scott & White Memorial Hospital in critical condition.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the victim was approached by two light skinned black males wearing hooded sweatshirts; several shots were fired at the victim and the two males fled on foot. The victim drove his vehicle to the area of Prestige and Watercrest where he stopped and got out of his vehicle when another male stopped to assist him until help arrived.

Detectives are asking anyone with information about this shooting to call Crime Stoppers at 526-TIPS (8477), go online at www.killeencrimestoppers.com or text the word KILLEEN along with the tip to CRIMES (274637). All information is kept confidential and if the tip results in the arrest of the person or persons responsible for this shooting, the tipster could receive up to $1,000 in cash.

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Officials: Man shot, killed by New Braunfels police during attempted kidnapping

New Braunfels police have identified a man shot and killed by police Thursday night as 39-year-old Glenn Shane Godden of Seguin.

New Braunfels police responded to a possible kidnapping at the 1800 block of Sunspur Drive shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday, said Lt. Michael Penshorn.

The caller reported that the back door to their home was broken and that their 32-year-old daughter, also a resident there, was missing, Penshorn said.

The resident “knew that there had been some issues with (the daughter’s) ex-husband,” Penshorn said. She “had a protective order against him.”

Police arrived to find a white Ford van leaving the area at a high rate of speed with a woman hanging out the driver’s side door being dragged, Penshorn said. The van accelerated past one officer, crossed to the left side of the roadway and hit a second patrol car head-on, Penshorn said.

The woman, who has not yet been identified, was trapped beneath both vehicles, Penshorn said.

Godden exited the vehicle and pointed a handgun at the woman, but the weapon malfunctioned, Penshorn said. Godden then pointed his weapon at three officers, who shot him several times, Penshorn said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The woman was airlifted to University Hospital in San Antonio with non-life threatening injuries, Penshorn said. She remained there Friday afternoon, he said.

New Braunfels police are investigating Godden’s actions and are also examining the officer-involved shooting, Penshorn said. The Texas Rangers will also review the shooting, Penshorn said.

The three officers have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the completion of the investigation, Penshorn said.

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November 29, 2010

Bastrop authorities investigating death of 2-year-old boy and his stepfather

FROM THE BASTROP COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE:

On November 24, 2010 at approximately 5:05pm, Bastrop County Dispatch received a 911 call of a suicide and possible missing child at 217 Pine Tree Loop in Bastrop, Texas. Bastrop County Deputies and Investigators arrived on scene to find a deceased adult male subject with a gunshot wound. After a brief search a 2 year old child was found deceased also with a gunshot wound.

On November 25, 2010, an autopsy was performed by the Travis County Medical Examiner who made a preliminary determination of suicide for the adult male and homicide for the child.

The deceased was identified as:

Jason Ackley
W/M DOB: 6/30/1970

and

Hunter James Stephens
W/M DOB: 2/19/2008

Mr. Ackley is the step-father to Hunter. The Ackley family was in town visiting family for the holidays. They are from the Houston, Texas area.

This case is under investigation.

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November 10, 2010

Southeast Austin shooting victim identified

Police have identified the victim from Tuesday’s shooting in Southeast Austin as 24-year-old Andre Walker.

Walker was shot to death near the intersection of East Oltorf Street and Burton Drive about 2:30 p.m., police said. When officers arrived, they found Walker unresponsive and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A SWAT standoff ensued at an apartment near the scene, ending about 10 p.m. with one person of interest being taken into custody, police said.

No arrests have yet been made, police said. This was the city’s 33rd homicide in 2010.

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November 3, 2010

North Austin shootings victim identified

A man killed in a North Austin shooting incident yesterday morning has been identified as 26-year-old Phu Vinh Truong, according to Austin police.

Truong was the roommate of Howard Hanh Huynh, 26, who police say also shot and wounded a neighbor standing outside a home in the 12300 block of Tomanet Trail early yesterday morning. The neighbor has not been identified.

Huynh was tracked to a nearby Jaguar dealership, where police say he fired on an officer before being gunned him down, authorities have said.

Related story: 2 dead, 1 injured in North Austin shootings

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October 26, 2010

Man charged with murder after wife found dead

This entry has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Hernan Mendieta. Police initially provided an incorrect name.

Update: Cedar Park police have charged a man with murder in the shooting death of his wife this morning, according to a media release.

Police say Hernan Mendieta, 35, of Austin, shot his wife, whose name was not released, with a handgun. Her body was discovered in a car on Brushy Creek Road.

Earlier: One person is dead and another was injured following a shooting in Cedar Park Tuesday morning, according to an official with the Williamson County Emergency Medical Services.

Sometime around 10 a.m., emergency personnel were alerted to the shooting, which took place in the roadway at the 3600 block of Brushy Creek Road close to West Parmer Lane, said Joe Granberry, deputy director of Williamson County EMS.

Granberry said one person died at the scene and another person was taken to an area hospital.

Cedar Park police are declining to comment to the American-Statesman on the incident and have referred calls to Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley. Bradley declined comment.

But, Cedar Park police Capt. Mike Harmon told Fox News that one person has been taken into custody in connection with the incident. According to the television station, a woman was found dead with a single gunshot wound to the head inside a parked car. The man who was taken into custody also fired shots at a passing motorist, Fox reported. It wasn’t clear if the motorist is the injured person.

The incident has shut down several blocks of Brushy Creek Road in both directions from Arrowhead Trail to the entrance of Silverado Springs Park at 3526 Brushy Creek Road. A Williamson County dispatcher said at 1:30 p.m. that the road remained closed.

The shooting took place near the Ranch at Brushy Creek neighborhood and several large area parks with running, hike and bike trails, including the 22-acre Silverado Springs Park.

Miguel Liscano photo

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October 25, 2010

Sheriff's office investigates E. Travis County homicide

The Travis County Sheriff’s Office is searching for the suspect in the Sunday shooting death of a 23-year-old man in a convenience store parking lot in Eastern Travis County, an official said.

The shooting victim, identified as Damon Rittenhouse, died several hours after the shooting at University Medical Center Brackendridge, the Travis County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

The shooting occurred at 3:15 p.m. Sunday at the Texaco in the 14000 block of FM 969 near Hunters Bend Drive, said sheriff’s office spokesman Roger Wade.

Witnesses said a man backed into a parking space at the at the store and fired several shots into the vehicle next to him, Wade said. A passenger in the vehicle was injured, Wade said.

Both vehicles then left the parking lot, Wade said.

Shortly before 5:30 p.m., police received a call about the shooting victim, who was then at another convenience store, a Conoco, at 6575 FM 3177 near Decker Lake Road, located about five miles from the shooting scene, Wade said.

The victim was then taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge, Wade said.

Now, the sheriff’s office is asking the public’s help in finding the suspect.

The sheriff’s office has interviewed several witnesses, including the driver of the vehicle in which the shooting victim was a passenger, Wade said. However, witnesses interviewed so far could not clearly recount information about the suspect.

“We were hoping the witnesses would tell us more,” Wade said.

The suspect is described as an African-American male with tattoos on his neck who was last seen driving a gray or silver, four-door passenger vehicle with a sunroof, Wade said. It’s possible the vehicle was a Hyundai, Wade said.

The sheriff’s office asks anyone with information about the shooting to call crimestoppers at (512) 472-TIPS.

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October 18, 2010

Killeen man shot on front porch of house dies

FROM THE KILLEEN POLICE DEPARTMENT:

On Friday, October 15, 2010, at approximately 11:30 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 1700 block of Bent Tree in reference to a shooting. Upon arrival, officers made contact with a male, who had been shot in the torso. The victim was transported to Scott and White Hospital with possible life threatening injuries.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the 20 year old victim was sitting on the front porch at 1710 Bent Tree Dr. when he was shot. Officers were told that the victim went inside the residence and collapsed inside the kitchen. Police have no witnesses or suspect description.

UPDATE: October 18, 2010

The victim in the shooting, Zidit Jose Rolando Eastman, was pronounced deceased by Justice of the Peace G.W. Ivey at Scott & White Memorial Hospital on Friday afternoon.

Detectives are still asking anyone who has information about this shooting to contact Crime Stoppers at 526-TIPS (8477), go online at www.killeencrimestoppers.com or text the word KILLEEN and the tip to CRIMES (274637). All information is kept confidential and anyone who gives information is anonymous. If the tip received results in the arrest of the person or persons responsible for this crime they will be eligible for a cash reward up to $1,000.

The case continues to be investigated and further information will be released as it becomes available.

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October 14, 2010

UTPD offers additional details on campus shooting

Colton Tooley, a University of Texas student from Southwest Austin, had a gun and a change of clothes in his backpack as he took a bus to campus before the Sept. 28 campus shooting incident, UT Police Department officials said today at a press conference.

Tooley, a 19-year-old sophomore math major, rode a Capital Metro bus from South Austin, where he lived, to campus. His gun, an AK-47, was hidden in his backpack. The stock had been removed.

UTPD officials said that once off the bus, Tooley changed clothes and disposed of personal items, including his laptop. He was wearing a white dress shirt, black pants and jacket, and a black ski mask when the shooting took place.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

Officials said Tooley stopped three times to fire 11 rounds but didn’t appear to be aiming at individuals, instead shooting into the air or into the ground.

He ran into the lobby of the Perry-Castaneda Library about 8:13 a.m. and took the stairs to the sixth floor where he shot himself.

UTPD officials said officers recovered only the one gun and one magazine.

A joint investigation was launched with Austin police officers, and a search of Tooley’s home, computer and phone records didn’t yield a motive for the shooting, UTPD officials said.

UT police chief Robert Dahlstrom said based on evidence culled from Tooley’s laptop, it appeared that Tooley had been visiting websites that indicated he may have been struggling with depression.

“We do not have an answer,” Dahlstrom said. “I don’t know that we ever will.”

The autopsy report hasn’t been completed, Dahlstrom said. He added that there was no indication that Tooley was on prescription or other medication or that Tooley was seeing a counselor for psychological treatment.

Since the shooting, few people who knew Tooley well have spoken publicly about him. Most who have use simple descriptions — quiet, funny, smart and helpful. Immediately after the shooting, Tooley’s family issued a statement that said Tooley had revealed no signs that foreshadowed violence.

“If he was depressed, you would never know it because he never usually expressed his emotions,” the statement said.

UTPD officials said today that the gun was a gift from Tooley’s father and was legally purchased. It had not been modified to fire automatically, officials said.

Dahlstrom said family members were “extremely cooperative” during the investigation.

Stopping short of saying the investigation is complete, Dahlstrom said he hoped today’s briefing would bring the UT community some measure of closure.

“The investigation will always continue,” he said.

University and Austin police officials released video and audio of the day of the shooting Wednesday. Those can be viewed by clicking here.

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October 9, 2010

Police: 1 wounded in West Campus shooting

The Austin Police Department is looking for a man officials believe shot a college student after the two argued while they were leaving a party early Saturday morning, Cpl. Anthony Hipolito, a spokesman for the police department said.

Shots were fired in the 2600 block of San Pedro around 2 a.m., Hipolito said. One man was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge with non-life threatening injuries, he said. No one else was injured in the altercation, he said.

Hipolito said the police have not yet positively identified the shooter.

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September 25, 2010

Police chase ends with fatal shooting; intersection near airport closed

Updated 4:45 p.m.

Assistant Police Chief David Carter said this afternoon that a man who died after leading officers on a chase was struck in the shoulder by an officer’s bullet. Carter, who is the department’s chief of staff, said officials with the Travis County Medical Examiner’s office will determine the man’s cause of death. Police have also said the man shot himself.

Carter identified the officer as Cpl. Javier Bustos, an 11-year department veteran. The name of the man has not yet been released.

Carter praised the work of officers involved involved in the incident, saying that they may have protected others from injury or death.

Earlier: A man died this morning in what Police Chief Art Acevedo described as a likely “suicide by cop” after leading authorities on a high-speed pursuit and waving guns at officers.

The pursuit covered much of the city and ended about 2:30 a.m. near Ben White Boulevard and Riverside Drive, Acevedo said.

An officer fired a single shot at the man after he raised his gun at two other people during a carjacking attempt. “The suspect immediately dropped” and then appeared to shoot himself, Acevedo said.

“Whether or not that shot (fired by the officer) hit I can’t discuss right now because I want to make sure that the medical examiner has an opportunity to confirm … whether or not it hit,” Acevedo said. “But we are pretty confident that after that first shot was taken by the officer, more likely than not it’s going to turn out that the suspect then committed suicide, ended his life, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.”

Police have not released the man’s identity.

According to Acevedo, the incident began as a confrontation between the man and his ex-girlfriend, whose identity police have not released. The woman had been at a friend’s house watching a movie when the man drove to that home in the ex-girlfriend’s BMW. He told the ex-girlfriend he “wanted her to see him die.” (The location of that home has not been given by authorities.)

The man and woman then traveled in the BMW to the woman’s home on Bantom Woods Bend, near Decker Lane and FM 969 in far East Austin, where the man shot her cell phone after she dialed 911 shortly after midnight, Acevedo said.

Officers arrived and ordered the the man to drop his weapon, Acedvedo said. But he went back inside the house, opened the garage door and fled in the BMW.

Officers gave chase but quickly lost him and returned to the house, he said. A few minutes later, the man drove back to the house.

“This is a man who is trying to engage the police, not get away from the police,” Acevedo said.

The man drove around in tight circles, then fled again. Officers began a 45-minute pursuit, with the suspect driving more than 130 mph at times, Acevedo said.

During the pursuit, the man repeatedly waved handguns in the air at officers, Acevedo said, and at one point fired shots into the air. Acevedo said officers did not return fire because the suspect had not pointed his gun at them.

Acevedo said the incident ended near Riverside Drive and Ben White Boulevard when the man attempted to carjack two people. An officer fired a shot when the man pointed a gun at one of the carjacking victims, the chief said. That’s when the man responded by apparently shooting himself.

The man basically forced officers’ hand, the chief said, adding, “The officers utilized outstanding restraint, and this speaks to the professionalism of the Austin Police Department.”

In particular, Acevedo praised the corporal who fired at the suspect, noting that the officer had urged the man to surrender a few minutes earlier when he stopped momentarily on Ben White Boulevard just west of U.S. 183 and got out of the car.

“The suspect refused,” the chief said. “He got back in the car.”

Acevedo said that officers captured the entire incident on video and that patrol cars that responded to the call each had their cameras operating.

Ben White Boulevard from U.S. 183 to Riverside Drive - a major thoroughfare to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport - was closed for several hours. It reopened by 11:15 a.m.

EARLIER

An Austin police officer fatally shot a man this morning in what Police Chief Art Acevedo described as a likely “suicide by cop” after a high-speed pursuit in which he waved guns at officers.

The pursuit covered much of the city, and Acevedo said Ben White Boulevard from U.S. 183 to Riverside Drive - a major thoroughfare to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport - will remain closed for several hours.

He said that an officer fired a single shot at the unidentified man after he attempted to carjack victims. The man then shot himself.

“He basically forced their hand,” Acevedo said. “The officers utilized outstanding restraint, and this speaks to the professionalism of the Austin Police Department.”

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September 10, 2010

Austin man charged in wife's death

An Austin man is facing a murder charge after police investigating his wife’s death found evidence she was shot and killed, and did not commit suicide as was initially thought, according to police and court records filed Thursday.

On Thursday, a Travis County grand jury indicted John Malcom Nordstrom III, 63, after hearing evidence regarding the death of his wife Deborah Diane Gordon, 58, according to a court record filed Thursday. He was booked into jail and faces bail of $200,000, according to Travis County jail records.

Police uncovered a gruesome scene at Northeast Austin home last week when they found Gordon’s badly decomposed body there, according to a search warrant issued last week. Initially, police thought Gordon had committed suicide, but later discovered she had been shot to death, according to a statement issued today by police.

On the night of Aug. 30, police were called to the home in the 1900 block of Rogge Lane when a relative noticed a “potent odor” coming from the home when Nordstrom answered the door, the search warrant said.

There, they found Gordon on the couch covered by a sheet, the search warrant said.

Gordon, an instructor at the YMCA, did not show up to teach her course at the facility on Aug. 5, a co-worker told police, according to the search warrant. The co-worker then got an e-mail from Gordon’s e-mail account that she was leaving town, but the co-worker suspected it was written by someone else, the search warrant said.

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Police charge husband in woman's shooting death

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT:

Murder #21

Case: 2010-2421955

Date: Monday, August 30, 2010

Time: 8:41 p.m.

Location: 1901 Rogge Lane

Deceased: Deborah Diane Gordon, White female, D.O.B. 12-04-1951

Narrative:

On Monday, August 30, 2010 at 8:41 p.m., Austin Police Officers responded to a deceased person call at 1901 Rogge Lane. When officers arrived they found the body of a deceased female inside the residence as well as John Malcolm Nordstrom III. Due to the state of the body detectives were unable to immediately identify the decedent. The decedent was subsequently identified as Deborah Diane Gordon, the wife of John Nordstrom III. Early indications led investigators to believe that the death was possibly was a suicide.

Through the investigation and evidence obtained it has been determined that Nordstrom murdered Gordon by shooting her. John Gordon III was indicted by a grand jury yesterday with 1st Degree Felony Murder. He was booked into the Travis County jail. Bond was set at $200,000.

This was Austin’s 21st murder of 2010. There were 15 murders at this time in 2009. The Austin Murders that were initially numbered 21 and 22 have been renumbered. Murder #22 occurred on Wonsley Drive and Murder #23 occurred on McNeil Road.

The case remains under investigation by homicide detectives. Anyone with information is asked to call the Homicide tip line at 512-477-3588, Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS or text “Tip 103” + your message to CRIMES. You may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 if your tip leads to an arrest or charges being filed.

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August 18, 2010

Police investigate East Austin shooting

Austin Police are investigating an early morning shooting in East Austin that left one victim injured, according to an Austin Police official.

The shooting occurred close to 3 a.m. this morning at the Mason Manor apartments at 1137 Gunter Street, said Austin Police Lt. Darrell Boydston.

The victim’s injuries were not life-threatening, however, they were not cooperating with police in revealing details on who else was involved in the shooting, he said.

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August 7, 2010

Williamson County deputy fatally shoots man after domestic disturbance

A 30-year-old Williamson County man was fatally shot Friday night after he approached Sheriff’s deputies with a rifle in his hand, Sgt. John Foster with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office said.

The man was identified this morning as Ryan Blake Justice, according to Foster.

Foster said that a child living in a home in the 200 block of Harbor Cove northwest of Georgetown called 911 multiple times shortly before 10 p.m. Friday and said that his mother and father were physically fighting. When deputies arrived, Foster said, Justice was outside of the home holding a rifle.

Foster said that the man advanced toward deputies, “and fearing for the safety of himself, the other deputies, the woman and child,” the deputy then shot Justice.

Justice died at the scene. The deputy who fired at him has been placed on administrative leave with pay, which is standard procedure, Foster said. The Texas Rangers are conducting an investigation.

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August 4, 2010

Killeen police investigating fatal shooting

FROM THE KILLEEN POLICE DEPARTMENT:

Killeen Police are investigating the death of a Killeen man tonight, Tuesday, August 03, 2010, just after 9:00pm.

Officers received a call regarding shots fired in the 2700 block of Starling Drive at 9:13pm. While the officers were responding to the area another call was received saying someone had been shot. Upon the officer’s arrival they located two males in the driveway of 2706 Starling, one male was lying on the ground and the other was speaking with the communications officer on the telephone; that male was immediately detained by officers. The other male was found to be deceased in the driveway; he was pronounced deceased at 9:45pm by Justice of the Peace Bill Cooke. Judge Cooke also ordered an autopsy to be performed at the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas.

Witnesses told officers that the two men were arguing in the driveway and the argument escalated to shots being fired.

The names of the two men involved have been withheld pending the notification of the victim’s next of kin and this case being reviewed by the Bell County District Attorney’s Office.

This case continues to be investigated and information will be released as it becomes available.

UPDATE - August 4, 2010

The victim in this shooting has been identified as 48 year old Jesse Bernard Young. The name of the suspect has been withheld until he has been formally charged.

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Police investigate shooting

Austin Police are investigating an early morning shooting in North Austin that left one man injured, an Austin Police Department official said today.

A man was shot and suffered non life-threatening injuries around 6 a.m. today. The shooting occurred in the 1800 block of Rutland Drive near Metric Boulevard, said police department spokeswoman Lisa Cortinas.

The man, who police did not name, was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge. Police officers are investigating what led to the shooting, Cortina said.

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May 24, 2010

Police investigate North Austin shooting

Austin police are looking for several people tied to a morning shooting in a far North Austin neighborhood that left one person wounded, police officials said today.

Police were called to the scene of a disturbance with a gun at the 1300 block of Parsons Drive, near the intersection of West Braker Lane and North Lamar Boulevard, at 8:49 a.m., said Austin police spokeswoman Lisa Cortinas.

A disturbance occurred between two groups of people in two vehicles, and several shots were fired, Cortinas said. One person was shot, she said.

The vehicle carrying the injured person and two others stayed, she said. The other vehicle left the scene, and police are now looking for that vehicle and the individuals in the vehicle, she said.

No other information was available about the shooting, including additional details about the people and vehicles involved. The injured person was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge, Cortinas said, but no information about the person’s condition was available.

“Everything else is under investigation,” Cortinas said.

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May 11, 2010

Police: Juvenile hurt in officer-involved shooting last week

A juvenile was hurt in an officer-involved shooting in Pflugerville last week, a Texas Department of Public Safety official said Tuesday.

Police said after the incident Friday afternoon that a man who fled a traffic stop in a stolen vehicle was shot by a Pflugerville police officer after a short chase.

The driver was taken to St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center with serious injuries to the left side of his body, police said last week.

DPS spokesman Tom Vinger said Tuesday that the driver was a juvenile, but no other details, such as his exact age or name, have been released. There was no update on the juvenile’s condition at the hospital as of Tuesday, Vinger said.

The passenger in the vehicle, who has not been identified, was taken into custody but later released, Vinger said. No charges have been filed in the case, he said.

The Texas Rangers, assisted by the Pflugerville Police and the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, are investigating the shooting, Vinger said.

As reported earlier, two people were in the vehicle when officers pulled it over at 12:13 p.m. on Regis Drive near Springbrook Road, officials had said. The vehicle sped away, and police followed the men through several neighborhoods on a pursuit that reached speeds of 55 mph, officials said.

The vehicle crashed into several parked cars before an officer intercepted it about 12:15 at Pfennig Lane and Swenson Farms Boulevard, about a mile from Pflugerville High at 1301 Pecan Street West, officials said last week.

The officer fired when the driver drove toward him, officials had said. The pursuit lasted about three minutes, officials have said.

The vehicle was reported stolen in April by Austin police, officials have said.

The officer involved in the shooting was placed on administrative leave, which is common in such cases, officials have said.

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April 27, 2010

Local doctor gunned down in Connecticut; former colleague charged

A Williamson County doctor doing research at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., was shot and killed Monday in front of his pregnant wife, according to published reports.

Dr. Vajinder Toor, an internal medicine physician born in 1975, last practiced for Austin Regional Clinic as part of its hospitalist group, Adult Inpatient Medical Services, in Williamson County. He saw patients at Seton Medical Center Williamson, according to Heidi Shalev, spokeswoman for Austin Regional.

Toor left July 7 to do research in infectious diseases at Yale and was planning to come back, Shalev said.

“We found out about this yesterday,” she said. “It’s really unfortunate. Really, really sad.”

Published reports said the suspect is a former colleague, Dr. Lishan Wang, who had a history of confrontational behavior. Wang was charged with murder and with firing at Toor’s wife, according to the Associated Press. Wang was living in Marietta, Ga., and is being held on a $2 million bond.

According to the AP, Wang was reprimanded by Toor for ignoring pages and calls from staff at a hospital where the two worked together a few years ago, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in New York. An employee said Wang threatened Toor in front of others. Wang later filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against the hospital and in it mentions a heated exchange with Vajinder, the article says.

Toor started with Austin Regional Clinic in Aug. 14, 2008, Shalev said.

The complete AP story, which moved at 5:22 p.m. Monday, is pasted below:

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN

Associated Press Writer

BRANFORD, Conn. — A doctor was charged Monday with fatally shooting a Yale University doctor and firing at the victim’s pregnant wife after a history of confrontations with the victim and other colleagues that led to his dismissal from a New York hospital.

Branford police said 44-year-old Lishan Wang is charged with murder, attempted murder and firearms offenses in the fatal shooting Monday of Vajinder Toor outside his home. Police say Wang, a Chinese citizen from Beijing who was last known to be living in Marietta, Ga., also fired at Toor’s wife, but she was not struck.

Wang is being held on $2 million bond. A message was left with an attorney representing him in a civil lawsuit.

Toor worked at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in New York before joining Yale. Police are investigating whether Toor and the gunman had a dispute on the job, using information provided by the victim’s wife, said Lt. Geoffrey Morgan.

“We’re following a hypothesis that the victim and the assailant had some sort of negative interaction at a previous employer,” Morgan said, adding that police do not expect to make additional arrests.

Wang and Toor were involved in a confrontation a few years ago at Kingsbrook after Wang left his post at the intensive care unit and was not reachable for a few hours, according to a hospital employee who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing murder investigation. The employee said Toor reprimanded him and that Wang threatened Toor in front of other employees.

Wang filed a federal discrimination lawsuit last year against the hospital. He talks about a heated exchange with his supervisor in the hospital’s residency program, “Dr. Vajinder,” in May, 2008 after Vajinder accused him of ignoring pages and calls from hospital staff.

“An hour after this heated discussion, Dr. Vajinder then accused Dr. Wang of threatening his safety by using hostile body language, although he did not summon security to assist him,” Wang’s lawsuit states.

It is one of several allegations of anger and behavioral problems that Wang acknowledges he was cited for while in the program. In the lawsuit, he said he was unfairly labeled excitable, emotional and unable to control his anger.

Wang was suspended with pay on May 22, 2008, and notified by letter that the hospital had decided to propose firing him. He was told by the union that the hospital would only allow him to remain employed if he sought disability leave for mental impairment. He was fired in July.

On Monday, Toor was walking in the parking lot toward his car at Meadows condominiums, miles from the Ivy League campus, shortly before 8 a.m. when he was shot multiple times.

Wang was taken into custody on a traffic stop nearby after residents provided police with details about the suspect and his vehicle, police said.

Toor was a postdoctoral fellow at the Yale School of Medicine who was working with the infectious disease section of Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Yale Police Chief James Perrotti sent an e-mail to the university community — which was shaken in recent months by the killing of a graduate student in her lab building — saying Branford police told him the crime was not a random act and was unrelated to Yale.

Hersh Arora, a neighbor and family friend, said Toor’s wife, Parneeta, had just waved goodbye to her husband and closed the door when she heard gunshots and ran outside. She saw her husband lying on the ground, saw a man with a gun and asked what he was doing.

The man started firing at her, so she hid behind a car, Arora said. A neighbor tried to perform CPR on Toor, Arora said.

The couple have a 3-year old-son, and Parneeta is five months pregnant, Arora said. “She can’t even cry in front of the kid,” Arora said. “She’s trying to be brave.”

Wang’s lawsuit claims injuries resulting from discrimination based on race, national origin and disability, and accuses the hospital of retaliation against him for investigating, disclosing and opposing the discrimination.

Wang disputes evaluations by human resources staff at Kingsbrook that he had behavioral problems and anger issues, saying he received favorable evaluations.

“Additionally, during the time period when some of his supervisors and KJMC Human Resources began to falsely characterize Dr. Wang as mentally impaired and suffering from ‘anger’ issues, Dr. Wang scored well on the “interpersonal skills sections of his evaluations with no mention of emotional or anger-related problems,” the lawsuit states.

Another doctor, Dr. Gealda Xavier, claimed Wang had yelled at her during a phone call. Wang responded by accusing the hospital of racism.

“Dr. Xavier is not Chinese and Dr. Wang had previously complained to his supervisors that she had treated him in a rude and abusive manner. Nothing was done to address Dr. Wang’s complaint. However, the committee sided with Dr. Xavier, who is not Chinese, and inappropriately attributed the perceived problems with Dr. Wang’s behavior to unspecified ‘family problems,” the lawsuit states.

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April 23, 2010

Third suspect charged in December shooting death

UPDATE: Irene Natalia Maldonado, 18, turned herself into authorities Saturday afternoon, a law enforcement official said Monday.

Maldonado surrendered herself at the Travis County jail Saturday at 1 p.m., said Travis County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Roger Wade.

Maldonado is shown as booked with bail set at $250,000, according to jail records.

EARLIER: A third suspect has been charged in connection with a fatal shooting at a Northeast Austin apartment in December, court records show.

Irene Natalia Maldonado, 18, has been charged with murder, a first-degree felony punishable with up to life in prison. Bail was set at $250,000.

She was not listed as being in the Travis County Jail as of 3:40 p.m.

Two men, Louis Gonzalez and Ernest Alonzo Moreno, have both been charged with murder in connection with the death and are in the Travis County Jail, records show.

The three are accused of a taking part in the death of Juan Carlos Jimenez-Vega at an apartment in the 8800 block of North Plaza about 7:30 p.m. Dec. 27.

According to an arrest affidavit, Louis Gonzalez had gone to the apartment with a gun looking for Maldonado’s ex-husband, Juan Gonzalez-Gonzalez. The two men had been arguing over Maldonado, who was at that point dating Louis Gonzalez.

Gonzalez fired once into the apartment after Jimenez-Vega answered the door, document show. He was hit in the chest and died at the scene, police said. Police said he was not involved in the argument about Maldonado.

According to an arrest affidavit, Maldonado is accused of driving the car used to get to and away from the shooting scene.

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April 21, 2010

Two women arrested in connection with Sunday shooting death

Williamson County sheriff’s officials have arrested two women in connection with the shooting death of a man early Sunday in southeastern Williamson County.

Veronica Evonne Ortiz, 25, and Isabel Michelle Gonzales, 21, have been charged with two counts of aggravated robbery, officials said in a statement. Both are in the Williamson County jail on $1 million bail each.

Authorities say the women met 19-year-old Raul Vizveth-Torres and a friend, Jorge Castaneda, at a club on Riverside Drive in Austin and asked the men for a ride home to Taylor, officials said.

Once the group got just north of the Williamson and Travis County line, near FM 973 and FM 1660, at about 4 a.m. at least one of the women asked the driver to stop the vehicle because she was sick, officials said.

While stopped, a man who police say was waiting to rob the men approached the vehicle wielding a pistol and demanded money, officials said.

After taking the money, the man fired two shots into the vehicle, striking Torres, officials said.

The suspected robber and the two women left the scene in a late 1990s blue Ford Mustang, officials said.

Castaneda drove Torres to St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about 4:45 a.m., officials said.

Police say the case remains under investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call Williamson County Crime Stoppers at (800) 253-7867 or the sheriff’s office at 943-1300.

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April 10, 2010

Police: 1 dead in overnight shooting

Austin police are investigating the fatal shooting of a 28-year-old man at around 2:30 a.m. this morning in the 8700 block of Brodie Lane, a police spokesman said.

The shooting happened around 2:37 a.m. in the Deerfield Apartments in Southwest Austin, north of Tanglewood Forest. Police did not release additional details this morning.

The man’s name has not been released pending notification of family members and positive identification.

Police say his death is Austin’s 8th homicide this year.

UPDATE:

Austin police are looking for a white colored, possibly a General Motors product with damage to the front right side of the vehicle and broken headlights. This damage was caused when the suspect vehicle struck other vehicles parked in the apartment complex. If you have information please call the Homicide Hotline at 512-477-3588. 

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April 8, 2010

City sued over Sanders shooting report

Hoping to force the City of Austin to release information related to the shooting death last year of Nathaniel Sanders II, a nonprofit legal aid group sued the City on Thursday in state district court in Travis County.

The Texas Civil Rights Project says the City has failed to comply with public information rules by refusing to turn over the full results of an independent investigation into the fatal police shooting.

On May 11, 2009, Austin Police Department officer Leonardo Quintana shot and killed eighteen-year-old Nathaniel Sanders II. After an internal APD investigation found Quintana failed to turn on his squad car’s video camera to record his encounter with Sanders and Smith, the City hired KeyPoint Government Solutions to conduct an independent review of the shooting.

On February 16, TCRP’s Director, James C. Harrington, asked the City to produce a copy of KeyPoint’s report on the shooting. The City handed over a redacted version of the report.

According to the lawsuit, of the 132 pages produced, over 30 cumulative pages are redacted. Twenty-five pages of the report discussing KeyPoint’s conclusions are totally redacted.

The City has not responded to a question about the suit.

The lawsuit notes that the un-redacted portions of the KeyPoint report says “police authorities mustwork to gain and then maintain the public confidence that they are fair, unbiased and professional.”

KeyPoint also observed “there are some cases where independent outside entities are called upon to review the investigative process and their findings to ensure accountability and enhance community trust. Such is the case here.”

The Attorney General upheld the City’s decision not to disclose the redacted portions of the report, according to the suit.

“Though the KeyPoint report itself urges transparency and accountability when the police use deadly force,” claims the Texas Civil Rights Project suit, “the City ironically wants to keep KeyPoint’s conclusions secret.”

“It’s very cynical for the City to spend $50,000 of taxpayer money for a report designed to increase transparency, then make the report’s findings secret,” said TCRP attorney Scott Medlock in a news release.

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March 30, 2010

Three men accused of shooting at deputies

Three men opened fire on two Travis County Sheriff’s deputies who were sitting in their marked vehicles off Decker Lane in Eastern Travis County early Sunday, according to an arrest affidavit.

The deputies were unharmed, the affidavit said. However, the men now face first-degree felony charges of aggravated assault of a public servant, the affidavit said.

Benito Olguin-Aguilar, 29, (pictured at top) Jose Hernandez Salinas, 29 (pictured in middle) and his brother Jesus Hernandez Salinas, 27, have been booked at the Travis County Jail with bail set at $50,000 each, the affidavit said.

The men had had left Club Escapade at the 6300 block of Decker Lane in a black 2000 Chevrolet Tahoe, and admitted to have been drinking, the affidavit said.

About 2:30 Sunday morning, the two deputies heard three shots fired toward their vehicles, which were parked at Decker Elementary School at 8500 Decker Lane, the affidavit said.

The shots appeared to be coming from a Chevrolet Tahoe driving north on Decker Lane, the affidavit said. There were no other vehicles on the roadway at the time, the affidavit said.

The deputies were able to catch up to the Tahoe and questioned the three men. Deputies discovered a .40-caliber semi-automatic gun magazine and .40-caliber casings in the vehicle, the affidavit said.

A Beretta 96 .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun that appeared to have been thrown out of the vehicle was found on Decker Lane, the affidavit said.

The Hernandez Salinas brothers denied any knowledge of a firearm being fired, and Olguin said he was asleep in the vehicle when he was wakened by five or six shots being fired from the vehicle, the affidavit said.

Police later reviewed a police dashboard camera, which showed three flashes of light coming from the vehicle, the affidavit said.

Olguin-Aguilar has also been charged with driving while intoxicated, court records show. Jose Hernandez Salinas was also charged with possession of a controlled substance, records show.

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February 15, 2010

Two die in Gatesville shooting

Police in Gatesville are investigating an apparent murder-suicide near the steps of the Coryell County Courthouse, 620 E. Main St., that happened today at 4:25 p.m.

Gatesville is about 40 miles north of Killeen.

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Calls to police indicated that a man pushed a woman to the ground and shot her before running towards the courthouse and shooting himself, according to a news release from the Gatesville Police Department.

Witnesses told police that the suspect and victim were arguing when the woman was shot.

The initial police investigation revealed that the man and woman had previously ended a relationship and the woman was seeking counseling.

Both the 42-year-old woman and 46-year-old man died at the scene of the shooting. Their names were not released today.

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January 16, 2010

Two charged with capital murder in Copperas Cove

Two Fort Hood men have been charged with capital murder in the death of a Copperas Cove man.

Brandon Christopher Walker, 19, and Travis Vershun Brazil, 22 — who were both charged Friday and are being held without bond — are accused of fatally shooting Frank J. Schreiber on Thursday night.

Schreiber died from a gunshot wound to the upper torso, according to the Copperas Cove Police Department.

Schreiber’s wife Leila was also injured and taken to Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center for a gunshot wound to the upper left torso area. Her condition has not been released.

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December 29, 2009

North Plaza homicide victim identified

Austin Police today identified the victim of a fatal shooting Sunday in the 8800 block of North Plaza as Juan Carlos Jimenez-Vega.

Jimenez-Vega, 23, was found dead in his Pebble Creek apartment after officers responded to a report of a shooting there about 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Vega was pronounced dead at the scene.

Louis Gonzalez, 23, charged with murder, is being held today on a $100,000 bail in the Travis County Jail. Police said Gonzalez had come to the apartment with a gun looking for a man he had been arguing with over a woman the two men had once dated.

Gonzalez allegedly fired into the apartment hitting Jimenez-Vega, who police said was not involved in the argument over the woman.

The investigation into Austin’s 22nd homicide of the year continues, and police asked anyone with information to call the Homicide Unit at 477-3588 or Crime Stoppers at 472-8477 (TIPS).

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December 27, 2009

APD responding to homicide

Austin police have responded to a homicide at the Pebble Creek Apartments at 8805 North Plaza and are interviewing potential witnesses.

Police say a 23-year-old man was shot and killed about 7:30 p.m. They are still looking for one male suspect, they said.

No more details are available. Check back for updates.

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December 26, 2009

Temple man arrested in connection with overnight shootings

From Temple Police Department

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Temple Man in Custody After Overnight Shootings

Last night at about 11:00 pm, Temple Police responded to a residence in the 4900 block of Midway Drive, in reference to a shooting that just occurred. Officers arrived to find Jeffrey Lynn Treacher, a 55-year-old Temple man, on the front porch of the house. Officers arrested him without incident.

Inside the residence, Officers found a man and woman with severe injuries. The man, later identified as Mark Allen Gibbs (age 43, of Austin) suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and on-scene attempts to revive him were ceased after a short time. He was pronounced dead by Justice of the Peace Barfield a short time later.

Also in the residence was the suspect’s estranged wife, Kim Allen Treacher, age 42. She suffered multiple life-threatening gunshot wounds to her torso, and was transported by ambulance to Scott and White Hospital, where she remains at this hour.

The initial investigation indicates that Jeffrey Treacher allegedly forced the front door of the residence open, entered the rear of the house, and shot both victims with a handgun. He then allegedly called 911 and awaited the arrival of the police.

Mr. Treacher was taken to the Bell County Jail, where he faces charges of Murder, and Aggravated Assault with a Firearm. This case will be reviewed later today with the Bell County District Attorney’s Office, and bond will be set thereafter.

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December 19, 2009

1 killed in Cedar Park shooting

Cedar Park police are investigating a fatal shooting this morning that left a man dead, Capt. Mike Harmon with the Cedar Park Police said.

Early this morning, Harmon said, police responded to reports of gunshots fired in the 2200 block of Sandra Drive. When officers arrived, they discovered that 24-year-old John P. Cornejo, of Cedar Park, had been shot and died, Harmon said.

His brother, Philip Cornejo, 45, was taken into custody by Cedar Park police. Harmon would not say what time the accident happened, whether Cornejo has been officially charged or whether he is still in police custody.

“The case is still under investigation, therefore no other details of the incident are being released,” Harmon said. He said the District Attorney’s office would be handling the release of any additional details.

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December 14, 2009

Police identify victim in taco stand shooting

UPDATE: Police have identified the victim as 43-year-old Mario Carbajal Plata.

EARLIER: Austin police are asking for help Monday finding a man who shot a taco stand employee Sunday afternoon in the 5400 block of S. Congress Ave.

Homicide detectives are not releasing the name of the victim or information about the taco stand as they continue their investigation.

Police said a Hispanic male in his mid-20s to early 30s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a thin build, wearing a yellow shirt under a dark jacket and dark baseball cap, walked up to the taco stand about 3 p.m. and shot the man working inside, police said. The employee was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses said the assailant fled on foot, according to police.

Anyone with information about the shooting or the suspect is asked to call the Austin Police Department homicide unit at 477-3588 or Crime Stoppers at 472-8477.

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November 25, 2009

Soldier dead after shooting in Killeen

UPDATE: Fort Hood officials have released more information on the soldier found fatally shot Monday in Killeen.

Pvt. Joshua M. Wyatt, 22, of Charlotte, N.C., joined the military in April 2006 as an ammunition specialist and was assigned to Troop Alpha, Regimental Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment since October 2006, according to a statement.

Wyatt fought in the war in Iraq from October 2007 through January 2009. His decorations and awards include the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon, officials said.

EARLIER: Killeen Police today are searching for a suspect in the shooting death of a 22-year-old soldier stationed at Fort Hood.

Joshua M. Wyatt died at 12:10 a.m. today on his way to Skylark Airfield be airlifted for treatment of a gunshot wound to the chest, Killeen Police Department spokeswoman Carroll Smith said.

Killeen officers found the wounded Wyatt after responding to a 911 emergency call reporting a shooting at 11:19 p.m. at an apartment in the 3400 block of Victoria Circle in Killeen, Smith said.

Justice of the Peace Bill Cooke ordered an autopsy to be performed at the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas, she said.

Killeen police ask that anyone with information about the shooting should contact the Killeen Police Department at 501-8800 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers 526-TIPS (8477). Those with information can also provide it anonymously at www.killeencrimestoppers.com.

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November 24, 2009

Court documents: Acorn throwing spurred shooting near Austin High

What started out as two teens throwing acorns at each other led to a shooting at Austin High School on Monday evening, according to court documents.

Jay David Carbullido, 17, has been charged with five counts of aggravated assault in connection with the shooting, officials have said.

No one was injured, officials said.

An arrest affidavit says Carbullido and another male were throwing acorns at one another outside of the school about 5 p.m., and then began throwing acorns at two girls who were also Austin High students.

One of the girls asked Carbullido several times to stop and then called her boyfriend, who was coming to pick the two girls up, to tell him what was happening. When the boyfriend arrived with two friends, the group approached Carbullido, who said he had a gun for them, the affidavit said. The girls and three boys then fled in a car, according to the document.

While driving past Carbullido on Stephen F. Austin Drive, one of the people in the car saw Carbullido pull out a long rifle and begin shooting at the car, according to the affidavit and police. One round struck the driver’s window, and several more rounds struck the car, according to the arrest affidavit.

A few hours after the shooting, Carbullido met Austin Independent School District police with his mother and turned himself in, police said.

Carbullido is at the Travis County Jail on $500,000 bail, records show. He is accused of firing shots from a .22-caliber rifle at the car, Cpl. Scott Perry said.

“It began as a verbal argument and it escalated,” said Roxanne Evans, a district spokeswoman. School officials said school resource officer knew Carbullido, contacted his family and convinced him to turn himself into Austin school district police.

This morning there were a few more officers in the area, but Evans said, “since the suspect is in custody, we’re not doing anything different.”

“Most of all it’s disappointing, because we have been working really hard with this kid,” said Austin High School Principal Lucio Calzada.

School officials said that the school did not see a higher number absences Tuesday and that counselors were available for students who wanted to talk about the incident.

In a letter sent home to parents, Calzada said he will continue to work to preserve students’ safety and security and asked parents to implore students to never bring a weapon onto school property, including a parking lot “as it is a violation of state law and the school will pursue the maximum penalty.”

As for changes at the school, Calzada said, “I don’t want to over-react. Am I going to start bringing a dog in and start smelling all the cars? No. I really don’t want to over-react.”

“I would be a lot more concerned if I didn’t know this kid the way I do. He’s compulsive. He does crazy things. We have to watch him at football games. He gets overly excited,” Calzada said.

In the Austin school district, 85 students were expelled during the 2008-09 school year, according to the Texas Education Agency. There were 27 reported incidents of conduct punishable as a felony and 14 prohibited weapon incident reports, and less than five reported firearm violations.

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Gang detectives join flea market shooting investigation

Austin Police Department gang squad detectives have joined an investigation into a confrontation that led to a shooting Saturday at a Southeast Austin flea market, Cpl. Scott Perry said today.

A 16-year-old boy was treated for non-life-threatening injuries from at least one bullet wound and released Saturday from St. David’s South Austin Hospital. The boy had driven himself to the hospital and was not at the shooting scene when officers arrived, Perry said.

The boy was with a group that had gotten involved in a confrontation with another group Saturday afternoon at the market at 1600 S. Pleasant Valley Drive, Perry said.

Detectives are trying to determine whether the shooting precipitated from a gang clash, Perry said.

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November 21, 2009

Police working shooting at flea market

Austin police are investigating a shooting that took place at a flea market at 1600 S. Pleasant Valley Dr. this afternoon. According to police officials, the victim suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. Officials said more information will be forthcoming.

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1 dead in overnight Taylor shooting

Police say a 40-year-old Taylor woman was found dead from apparent gunshot wounds this morning in the 400 block of Old Thorndale Road.

A dispatcher with the Taylor Police Department said officers responded to a suspicious persons call around 1:21 a.m. Saturday and found the woman “apparently deceased, the victim of a shooting.”

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The woman’s name has not been released pending notification of her family members, police said. Police arrested a 44-year-old man suspected of shooting the woman at the scene. Officers said the man had injuries from being in a fight and he was in police custody at the hospital this morning. Authorities said they would not release his name until he was formally charged.

In additional to the police department, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, Hutto police and the Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting.

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October 22, 2009

Intruder shot in San Marcos

A man San Marcos police said was shot after breaking into a home on Oscar Smith Drive armed with a BB gun, is in stable condition today at University Medical Center Brackenridge, police Commander Penny Dunn said.

Police released no names involved in the shooting as they continued their investigation, Dunn said. No charges have been filed in the case, she said.

Officers were first called at 9:50 p.m. Wednesday from someone reporting a break-in in progress at the back door of a home in the 700 block of Oscar Smith Drive, Dunn said.

One of three people in the home at the time fired several shots at a man Dunn said was armed with a BB handgun. The intruder then fled on foot wounded, she said.

Dunn said police were alerted that a man with several gunshot wounds came to Central Texas Medical Center in San Marcos after 10 p.m. Doctors there gave him primary treatment and the suspect was transferred to Brackenridge, she said.

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October 3, 2009

Fort Hood soldier arrested in Harker Heights shooting

A Fort Hood solider was arrested early morning Saturday after being accused of shooting another man in the arm at a Harker Heights night club.

At about 1:30 a.m., police were called to the Spin Club, where a 33 year-old Harker Heights resident had been shot in the arm, according to a news release from the Harker Heights police department.

Officers arrested Lee Edward Logue, a 23 year-old soldier from Virginia assigned to Fort Hood, who has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Officers recovered a 9 mm pistol that officers suspect was used by Logue. The victim, who has undergone surgery, is not thought to have suffered life-threatening wounds, according to the news release.

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September 16, 2009

Man in critical condition after Killeen shooting

A Killeen man was airlifted to Scott & White Hospital in Temple Wednesday afternoon after being shot by a man in a wheelchair, according to Killeen police.

According to police:

A 24-year-old man who lives in the Quail Hollow apartments was in a dispute with a woman who also lives there. The woman’s boyfriend, a 31-year-old man in a wheelchair, had two handguns on him. The 24-year-old man took one of the guns and fired at the woman, at which point the man in the wheelchair started shooting at the 24-year-old man as he ran away.

The woman was not injured. The 24-year-old man was shot in the legs. He is in critical condition. The incident is under investigation by Killeen police, and no arrests have been made.

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September 8, 2009

UT game date ends with shots fired at apartments

A man was arrested Saturday after he interrupted his girlfriend’s date with another man by firing a semi-automatic handgun at the ground in a South Austin apartment complex, according to an arrest affidavit.

Allen Gray Buckner, 54, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony.

Witnesses told police that after firing the shots, Buckner returned the handgun to his truck and then broke down the door of his girlfriend’s apartment at the Retreat at Barton Creek apartment complex at 3816 South Lamar Blvd., in South Austin.

His girlfriend, Patricia Leal, told police that she had gone on a date with “one of her boyfriends” to the University of Texas football game Saturday. According to the affidavit, Buckner saw the two walking up the stairs to Leal’s apartment and started yelling at them. The other man, Alonzo Juarez, attempted to leave when Buckner fired a round into the ground in the other boyfriend’s direction. According to a witness in a nearby apartment, the boyfriend backed away with his arms up before running away.

Buckner then broke down the door in Leal’s apartment, where police found him in the bathroom, according to the affidavit.

Buckner was out of jail Tuesday with bail set at $10,000.

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September 4, 2009

Charges likely won't be filed against San Marcos resident who shot attempted burglars

UPDATE: San Marcos police say they do not anticipate filing criminal charges against a San Marcos resident who shot three Luling teenagers, killing two, early Friday morning after they broke into his home in an attempted home invasion.

“At this time, we do not anticipate filing charges against the resident for firing the shots,” San Marcos Police Chief Howard Williams said.

Four teens attempted to break into the home carrying pellet guns and a handgun at the 900 block of Chestnut Street near Texas State University around 2 a.m. Friday. A resident at the house, who police have not named, fired at three of the teens with a Glock pistol, police said.

One 16-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene and a second 16-year old died at Central Texas Medical Center. A third teen, also 16, was taken to University Medical Center at Brackenridge with serious injuries.

A fourth teen who was arrested after returning to the scene, 17-year-old Frank Castro of Luling, has been charged with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony. His bail has been set at $50,000.

EARLIER: SAN MARCOS — Two 16-year-olds were killed, another was seriously wounded and a fourth teen is in police custody following an attempted home invasion early this morning, San Marcos police said Friday.

Police said a resident of the home shot the teens about 2 a.m. in the 900 block of Chestnut Street, near the Texas State University campus. The two dead teens are from Luling, police said.

Police Chief Howard Williams said the three residents of the home were awakened by a commotion shortly before 2 a.m. He said one resident opened a bedroom door to find a suspect pointing a weapon at him from the living room. Williams said the resident, who was armed with a pistol, shot three of the suspects, and that a fourth escaped uninjured.

None of the residents of the home — one a Texas State University student — were injured, he said.

Williams said three of the suspects are 16 years old and a fourth is 17. Their names have not been released.

One 16-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene, and another died at Central Texas Medical Center, police said. A third 16-year-old was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin with serious injuries, and police are waiting to interview him, Williams said.

The fourth teen fled the scene but returned later and was arrested in connection with the home invasion with charges pending, police said.

At least two of the four teens involved in the early morning San Marcos shooting were students at the Luling Independent School District, officials said.

Luling school district superintendent David Davis said one of the teens who was fatally shot, as well as the one who was seriously injured, were students in his district. Davis said he had no immediate information about the other teen who was fatally shot or the teen who was arrested.

Davis said because the students were minors, he would not disclose their names or where they attended school. He did say grief counselors were present at the school they attended.

“We’re helping our kids that are struggling with this,” Davis said.

All three residents of the home were interviewed by police, Williams said. He said it was too early to say whether or not the resident who shot the suspects will be charged. Four guns were taken from the home, he said, but he did not know who owned the guns.

As news crews arrived at the small, two-story gray house in the 900 block of Chestnut Street, residents inside boarded up windows and draped a curtain over the front entrance, which was missing a door.

Samuel Bagot, a former university student who used to live on Chestnut Street, said the area is heavily populated with students but is peaceful aside from the occasional partying.

“It’s peaceful type stuff around here,” Bagot said. “I hear every once and a while that a house gets broken into, but it’s usually for stupid stuff, like a TV.”

Video: San Marcos police chief talks about the shootings

Deborah Cannon/AMERICAN-STATESMAN

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August 27, 2009

Two arrested in San Marcos homicide

Two men have been arrested in connection with a Wednesday morning homicide in San Marcos.

Zackhary Allen James, 20, of Luling and Quenten Rashad Taylor, 21, of San Marcos were arrested and charged Wednesday evening with the murder of 30-year-old Byron Burse, San Marcos Police Cmdr. Terry Nichols said today. They are being held at the Hays Law Enforcement Center with bail set at $750,000 for James and $500,000 for Taylor.

Nichols said James confessed to shooting Burse numerous times just after midnight Wednesday in Burse’s Linda Lane apartment after Taylor kicked the apartment door down. James and Burse were involved in a fistfight at the complex Tuesday evening for unknown reasons.

Nichols said James “apparently didn’t like outcome of the fight, and came back to settle up.”

Witnesses lead police to the suspects, Nichols said. The investigation is ongoing and more arrests are anticipated, he said.

Police ask anyone with information on the crime to call the San Marcos Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at 512-753-2300 or 512-753-2108.

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August 26, 2009

Arrest made in Tuesday night drive-by killing

Austin police have arrested and charged a man who they said shot into a man’s home late Tuesday, striking him in the chest, after a crack cocaine deal earlier that night fell through.

Homicide Lt. Mark Spangler said officials have no indication that Paul Astran Jr. was involved in the drug transaction. Authorities said it is possible that another resident in the home in the 3400 block of Pickle Drive may have been, but they are not yet sure.

Astran was “in his house, not involved in that transaction,” Spangler said.

Catalino Carbajal, 28, has been charged with murder and evading arrest. Police said he called 911 this afternoon and confessed.

Spangler said Carbajal dropped an unidentified associate off to sell crack cocaine — he would not say how much — in the area. The associate did not return about an hour later, at which time Spangler said Carbajal returned to the area and fired inside the house.

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August 17, 2009

Police: Two bodies found in residence in Williamson County

UPDATE:Williamson County sheriff deputies are investigating what they say was a murder suicide at a Northwest Austin apartment complex this evening.

Just after 5 p.m., deputies received a call from an apartment manager who said that two people had been found dead in a unit at the Rattan Creek Luxury Apartment Homes, at Parmer Lane and Dallas Drive.

Sheriff office spokesman Detective John Foster said that a middle-aged man and woman were found dead of gunshot wounds in the man’s apartment. Foster said he would not release names until officials could notify next of kin.

Foster said the relationship between the two was unclear but said investigators believe both were Austin cab drivers.

The apartment manager told deputies that she went to check on her tenant after a friend said the man had not reported to work.

It’s unclear who did the shooting, Foster said. He said investigators believe the shooting happened today.

Deputies just before 2 p.m. today were asked to check on the man, but the officer left when he noticed nothing unusual, Foster said.

EARLIER: The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating two deaths in Williamson County, Detective John Foster said.

Two bodies were found this afternoon at 7011 West Parmer Lane, Foster said. Additional details were not immediately available.

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Police: Clerk shoots and kills man trying to steal beer

A clerk at a Ben White Boulevard convenience store shot and killed a man who officials say was stealing a 12-pack of Budweiser early Sunday morning, Austin police said Monday.

Jorge Luis Vielma, 22, and another man were on a “beer run,” according to police, and attempting to flee after stealing the beer. Police say Juan Romero, 23, pictured at right, a clerk at the Shell gasoline station at 525 W. Ben White Blvd., fired multiple shots at Vielma outside the store as he ran for his waiting vehicle.

Vielma later died inside the vehicle and was found shortly after 1 a.m Sunday in the 1000 block of Mansell Avenue, which is near U.S. 183 and Airport Boulevard. Romero was charged with murder and is being held at the Travis County Jail. His bail has been set at $250,000.

According to Sgt. Joseph Chacon, while Texas law allows residents to take reasonable measures to defend their property, officials determined that “at least on the face of it,” the shooting was not reasonable.

Chacon would not say where Vielma was shot, but said that the shooting occurred as he was fleeing and that police do not believe Vielma was armed. “Ultimately it will be decided by a jury or grand jury whether it was reasonable,” Chacon said.

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August 16, 2009

Officials: TABC agent involved in shooting

Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents early today shot and critically wounded a man who had led Austin police officers on a brief pursuit, authorities said.

The suspect was transported to University Medical Center Brackenridge.

TABC spokeswoman Carolyn Beck said two of three agents outside an apartment complex at 1515 Wickersham Lane in Southeast Austin opened fire at the unidentified suspect around 3 a.m. after they said he attempted to run over one of them.

The agents had spotted the car along East Riverside Drive after the pursuit with police and followed it inside the Longhorn Landing apartment complex parking lot, authorities said.

It was not immediately clear this morning why police were pursuing the man or what the TABC agents were doing in the area.

At the scene this morning, a white-pickup truck that appeared to have been involved in the shooting was pushed against several parked cars and its driver door was open. Two unmarked sedans were behind the truck.

Residents questioned reporters about what had happened, but continued milling about the property.

The shooting was the first involving TABC agents since 2000.

Beck said the three agents have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, which is standard for officers involved in shootings.

Texas Rangers, Austin police and TABC officials are each investigating the shooting.

Officials have scheduled a news conference at TABC at 2 p.m. to discuss the incident.

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Police investigate overnight shooting

Austin police are investigating the death of a man whose body was found in East Austin early today.

Police spokesman Dennis Farris said authorities received a report of a shooting at about 1:17 a.m. When officers arrived, they found the male victim in the 4600 block of Bolm Road. It was not immediately clear if the victim was in the street or in a home.

Farris said officials do not yet know the man’s identity.

Anyone with information is asked to call 477-3588.

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July 28, 2009

Officials release name soldier killed at Fort Hood

From Fort Hood Public Affairs:

Fort Hood officials have released the name of a Soldier who died Tuesday, July 21, from a gunshot wound.

Sgt. Matthew Dean Berryhill, 38, of San Diego, California was rushed from his residence on Fort Hood, by Emergency Medical Services, to Darnall Army Community Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Berryhill entered the military June 1999 as a Field Artillery Firefinder Radar Operator and was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment since September 2005.

Sergeant Berryhill’s decorations and awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal w/Arrowhead, Iraq Campaign Medal w/Arrowhead, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, and Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

The incident is under investigation.

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July 22, 2009

Man shot in Georgetown

A Georgetown man was taken to the hospital after he was shot in the abdomen with a shotgun Tuesday evening, a city spokesman said.

The incident happened about 7 p.m. on East 19th Street, south of Texas 29, Georgetown spokesman Keith Hutchinson said. Gabriel Gauna, 21, was taken to Brackenridge Hospital where he was in good condition this afternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said.

A juvenile, whose name was not released, was taken into custody and has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon, Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson did not have any other details about the shooting.

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July 18, 2009

Man fatally shot overnight

Police are investigating the city’s 8th homicide of the year after a 39-year-old man was fatally shot around 1 a.m. in North Austin, authorities said.

Austin police responded to a shooting call at 1:07 a.m. in the 1300 block of Parsons Drive, police spokeswoman Veneza Aguiñaga said.

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When police arrived, Aguiñaga said a man was found with a gunshot wound after two men inside a residence on the street had argued, she said. The injured man was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge, where he was pronounced dead at 2:49 a.m., she said. His name is not being released pending positive identification and notification of his family members.

Aguiñaga said a person of interest is being questioned by police in connection with the man’s death. Charges are expected to be filed. Police ask that anyone with information about the incident call Homicide detectives at 477-3588.

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July 5, 2009

Tire shop owner shoots ex-employee, police say

One person has been shot at a used tire store on North Lamar Boulevard this afternoon, according to Austin police.

Austin police Corporal Jeff Koble said a former employee of Whitt Tire got into a verbal confrontation with the shop’s owner, who felt threatened and shot the former employee in the stomach.

The incident happened around 2:45 p.m. at the shop at 12100 North Lamar Blvd. after an argument over money, Austin police Lt. Darrell Boydston said. He said the injured person was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge with non-life threatening injuries.

According to Travis County Jail records, the owner, John Whitt, 67, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Employee Antoine Jackson said he did not witness the shooting, but said the former employee has come to the shop several times making threats.

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May 11, 2009

AISD: Walnut Creek Apt. parents should pick up children from school

Austin school district officials are telling parents of students who live in the Walnut Creek Apartments, 6409 Springdale Road, to pick up their students when classes are dismissed today.

“Students who live in the complex will not be released from their schools unless picked up by a parent or guardian,” district administrators said in a statement.

One man was killed and another was injured early this morning in an officer-involved shooting in the parking lot of the Walnut Creek Apartments. Austin police are continuing their investigation.

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April 23, 2009

High-speed chase ends in shooting

The Texas Rangers are investigating the events that led to a Department of Public Safety officer shooting a man who led officers from several departments on a high-speed chase that ended in Burnet County.

The suspect was in stable condition Thursday night at University Medical Center at Brackenridge. Tom Vinger, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, could not say how many times the suspect had been shot, what prompted the shooting or whether the suspect was armed at the time of the shooting.

A Cedar Park patrol officer spotted a black pickup northbound on the 183-A toll road. The officer estimated the truck was going more than 90 mph, Vinger said.

Department of Public Safety troopers joined the pursuit, which continued onto Texas 29 and ended just east of Bertram, Vinger said. Vinger could not say what caused the driver of the pickup to stop just before the shooting.

Texas 29 at the scene remained closed at 10:20 p.m. as Texas Rangers continued their investigation into the chase and shooting.

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April 5, 2009

Two shot in Arboretum parking lot

Police are investigating a shooting that happened early Sunday morning in the parking lot of the Arboretum shopping center in Northwest Austin, Austin police Corporal Scott Perry said.

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The suspect is still at-large, Perry said. Police believe the victims and suspect knew each other, so they believe it was an isolated incident, Perry said.

Just before 1 a.m. Sunday, two people who work at a business at the Arboretum arrived for work in the same car, Perry said. The suspect approached the vehicle and shot both people, whom Perry did not identify. They were taken to University Medical Center-Brackenridge with injuries that were not life-threatening, Perry said. Perry did not know which business the two worked at.

Perry said there was an altercation of some kind between the suspect and victims, but he would not go into more details or reveal the nature of the relationship among the three.

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April 3, 2009

Three people, including Temple officer, injured in shootout

A Temple police officer and two people were injured this morning after gunfire broke out as police attempted to serve a search warrant.

About 10:35 a.m., the Temple SWAT team was executing a narcotics search warrant at a unit in the Creekside Apartments, 3550 SW H K Dodgen Loop, when the team was fired upon, Sgt. Brad Hunt said.

Officers returned fire and struck two people inside the apartment, Hunt said.

Everyone injured, including an officer, was taken to Scott & White Hospital in Temple, Hunt said.

A man police say was shooting at the officers was shot in the chest and upper torso. He was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, Hunt said.

A woman inside the home was also shot, Hunt said. She was also taken to the hospital with injuries that are not considered life threatening.

The officer was shot in the arm, Hunt said.

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March 4, 2009

Kingsland man faces additional charges in July shooting of alleged neighbor's burglars

A 64-year-old Kingsland man, already charged with a state jail felony for shooting an alleged burglar of his neighbor’s home in July, was indicted Tuesday on one count of felony deadly conduct, officials said.

Tommy Oakes was originally charged in August with felony aggravated assault. The shooting victim, Casey Rowe, died in September at a Lubbock rehabilitation facility.

Oakes is accused of firing at a vehicle on July 30 after confronting several men he said were burglarizing his neighbor’s home. Rowe, who was in the vehicle, was later found at an emergency medical services station in Kingsland with a gunshot wound to the back of his neck, officials said.

Oakes’ attorney, Jim Wheat, has said that his client fired after he saw at least one of the men reach into the vehicle for what he thought was a weapon.

After Rowe died, a grand jury was presented with the option of charging Oakes with murder. Instead, the grand jury in January indicted Oakes on a charge of criminally negligent homicide, a state jail felony punishable with up to two years in jail, Wheat said.

The latest indictment relates to the number of shots fired that day, Llano County District Attorney Sam Oatman said. The original indictment focused specifically on the death of Rowe.

A second grand jury inidicted Oakes on the deadly conduct charges, punishable with up to 10 years in prison, Wheat said.

Oakes turned himself in to the Llano County sheriff’s office this morning and was released on his own recognizance, Wheat said.

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February 13, 2009

Man shot by deputy U.S. marshal had long criminal history

The fugitive shot Thursday night by a deputy U.S. marshal in Northwest Austin has a criminal history dating back to the 1980s and had been wanted on a parole violation for drugs and car theft charges, local and federal law enforcment officials said at press conference Thursday.

“It’s very clear Mr. Douglas Morse is a very dangerous man,” said Assistant Austin Police Chief David Carter.

Carter and Austin Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Hector Gomez said the investigation continues but indications are that the deputy marshal, who they would not identify, acted appropriately in shooting Douglas Morse, 41, while trying to arrest him at a Northwest Austin apartment complex.

Morse, who most recently lived in Ausitn, was under guard at University Medical Center at Brackenridge Thursday, Carter said. He faces a bevy of charges, including evading arrest, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and aggravated assault with a motor vehicle.

Carter said that initially Travis County prosecutors were assisting in the case but then learned that the incident at the Balcones Club Apartments at 9218 Balcones Club Drive was in Williamson County by about 100 feet. The Williamson County District Attorney’s office will investigate the case, including the shooting, and present evidence to a grand jury if appropriate, he said.

Morse had escaped a sheriff’s deputy Wednesday night in Live Oak County, about 90 miles southeast of San Antonio, after the deputy pulled him over in a stolen vehicle, officials said.

The U.S. marshals-led Lone Star Fugitive Task Force learned he would be heading to the apartment in Northwest Austin and arrived at about the same time, Carter said.

When Austin police and U.S. marshals deputies surrounded his vehicle with their vehicles at the complex, Morse began to try to escape, according to a police affidavit.

At one point he sped into a car holding a U.S. marshals deputy and an Austin police officer, inflicting minor injuries on the pair, the affidavit said.

Morse fled his vehicle on foot and then was shot in the forearm and leg after officials said he appeared to be reaching for his waist area. He did not have a gun on him, Carter said.

“His actions were clearly a threat to the officers, the public,” Carter said, “it’s obvious.”

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February 10, 2009

Man charged in connection with Sunday morning shooting

A 20-year-old Austin man has been charged in connection with a shooting that injured three people Sunday morning outside of Club Antros near West Fifth and Lavaca streets.

Noe Fernando Vasquez has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is in Travis County Jail on a $25,000 bond, according to an arrest affidavit.

Witnesses say Vasquez came out of the club about 2:20 a.m. and pulled a handgun out of his pants after he saw a man talking to a woman, the affidavit said.

Witnesses say the gun went off about 10 feet from the man and woman, striking the woman in the right shin and hitting the man in the right leg as the bullet ricocheted off the ground, the affidavit said. Fragments from the same round hit another man in the face close to his left eye, the affidavit said.

The woman was taken to University Medical Center at Brackenridge with injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, police said Sunday. The two men were treated and released, a police official said.

Officials at Brackenridge said today that the woman was no longer a patient there.

A nearby officer heard the shot and immediately called for backup. Vasquez fled on foot, according to the affidavit, but was arrested hiding behind a parked car in a garage. The gun, a 9mm pistol, was underneath the car, the affidavit said.

Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon is a second-degree felony that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years.

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January 8, 2009

Texas State student dies from gunshot wound

UPDATE: FROM THE SAN MARCOS POLICE DEPARTMENT:

San Marcos Police are investigating the shooting death of a 21-year-old man Wednesday night, identified as Jon Ryan Paysse, (DOB 1-04-1988) of Tow, Texas.

Paysee died after being airlifted to Brackenridge Hospital after the shooting occurred at the University Heights II Apartments on East River Ridge Drive in San Marcos.

“At this point, we believe it was an accidental shooting,” said Police Chief Howard Williams. “Once our investigation is concluded, we will refer the case to the Hays County District Attorney’s office for presentation to a grand jury.”

No charges have been filed or are anticipated, Williams said.

Police were called at 6:49 p.m. Wednesday, January 7, 2009 to the University Heights Apartments. Paysse suffered a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was transported by Air Evac to the hospital in Austin where he was pronounced dead.

Paysee was a junior at Texas State University-San Marcos.

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December 28, 2008

One dead in Milam County shooting

A Milam County man was shot and killed early Sunday morning in what the sheriff’s office said was a home invasion.

Authorities say Edward Sexton III, 34, had broken into a home and was shot and killed at about 2 a.m. Sunday.

Sexton was pronounced dead at the residence on County Road 218 in Cameron, a town in Milam County northeast of Austin, according to a release from Milam County Sheriff David Greene, which was read over the phone by a dispatcher for the sheriff’s office.

No arrests have been made. An autopsy has been ordered, and the incident is still under investigation.

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December 27, 2008

St. David's murder victim and suspect identified

A man who police say shot and killed a woman in a medical office building next to St. David’s hospital Friday has been identified as Michael Anthony Martinez.

The woman has been identified as Celine Ramos Luna, 39.

Austin police say Martinez, 44, left the office building after shooting Luna and went to a relative’s home in Southeast Austin, where he shot himself and died. Police say Luna and Martinez knew each other but did not say how.

Yesterday’s story and video on the incident has more details.

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December 22, 2008

Victim in fatal weekend shooting ID'd

Police have released the name of a 23-year-old man who was fatally shot in Southeast Austin Friday night in the city’s 22nd homicide of the year.

On Friday, December 19, 2008, South Central Area Command patrol officers responded to a shots fired call at the Town Vista Apartments at 2201 Montopolis Drive. They found Juan Antonio Mendez-Godinez, who had been shot. Paramedics responded and Mendez-Godinez was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Police said that Mendez-Godinez and the suspect may have known each other, but no other details about the shooting have been released. Authorities are looking for a suspect police describe as a black male in his early 20s who is between 5’3 and 5’8 with short dark hair. Police say the suspect was last seen wearing a black pullover hoodie, black shorts, and black tennis shoes.

Austin Homicide detectives are still investigating the shooting. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Homicide tip line at 477-3588 or Crime Stoppers at 472-8477(TIPS).

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December 9, 2008

Hunt for suspect in restaurant shooting continues

Travis County Sheriff’s deputies continued to search Tuesday for a man they say shot and killed a manager at a new restaurant in western Travis County on Monday afternoon.

Officials are searching for Brian Carl Beck, 27, of the Austin area, who they say is an ex-employee of the Steiner Ranch Steakhouse and the suspected shooter in the case. Witnesses told deputies that Beck walked in to the restaurant shortly before 4 p.m. Monday and shot manager Christopher Martin, 29, several times, according to an affidavit.

“Without saying a word, Beck pulled out a black colored handgun and fired multiple shots at Martin” the affidavit says. The restaurant, located at 5424 Steiner Ranch Blvd., was closed at the time, according to sheriff’s spokesman Roger Wade.

Wade said that it is believed that Beck had had an argument with Martin on Saturday night, when Beck walked off the job. Wade said the incident was the first workplace shooting in Travis County in recent memory.

Two other restaurant employees hid under a nearby table during the shooting, and before Beck left the restaurant, he looked under the table at the employees and said, “I’m not going to shoot you,” according to the affidavit.

Wade said that Beck fled in a white 2000 Chevrolet Blazer which was found abandoned on Bullick Hollow Road. An off-duty Austin police officer called deputies to report a man matching Beck’s description crossing the two-lane road and entering a thicket of cedar trees shortly after the shooting Monday, Wade said.

Officials returned to the area near where the SUV had been parked on Tuesday, saying it was possible that Beck could still be in the immediate area. Officials confiscated Beck’s vehicle but Wade said it was unclear if a weapon or anything else was recovered from the car.

He said that the density of the trees, combined with the area’s mountainous terrain would complicate the search. He added that Beck has a military background, but “whether he has outdoor survival skills, we don’t know,” Wade said.

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November 24, 2008

Murder suspect told police he shot stepfather, court documents say

Ballenger, right, said he shot 54-year-old Terry Dail and hid the weapon in a truck outside of Dail’s home in the 200 block of Pheasant Ridge Drive, near Round Rock, according to an arrest affidavit.
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Dail was shot sometime Friday morning, officials said, and was found by co-workers the same day.

Ballenger is charged with murder and possession of a prohibited weapon. The 23-year-old is being held at the Williamson County Jail. His bond is set at more than $1 million.

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October 30, 2008

Man killed outside Club Escapade overnight

Police are investigating the death of a 49-year-old bar manager outside of Club Escapade, a nightclub in the 6500 block of Decker Lane, according to police spokesman Lt. Dana Brockington.

Brockington said police received a call about the fatal shooting at 1:57 a.m.

Police spokeswoman Veneza Aguiñaga said Jose F. Rivera was shot as he walked out of the bar and that detectives “are not ruling out the possibility he could have been shot from a distance.” Rivera was pronounced dead at the scene.

Aguiñaga said Rivera’s shooting was “totally isolated” from the recent fatal shooting of La Rumba Disco employee, Hector David Lopez Godinez, 23.

According to Aguiñaga, Rivera had immigrated from Mexico 10 years ago and had been the bar manager at Club Escapade for eight months. After interviewing a number of people, she said, investigators have reported that “no one has said one bad thing about him.”

Police continue to search for suspects and witnesses in connection with the Club Escapade shooting. The incident is being investigated as the city’s 21st homicide in 2008, police said. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the homicide tip line at 477-3588.

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October 28, 2008

Victim in La Rumba shooting ID'd

A 23-year-old nightclub employee fatally shot Saturday in Southeast Austin has been identified as Hector David Lopez Godinez, according to an arrest warrant affidavit released this week.

The shooting occurred just before midnight Saturday in the parking lot of La Rumba Disco, in the 1900 block of E. Riverside Drive. Sunday, Anibal Reyes Gonzalez, 21, was arrested and charged with murder. He is being held at the Travis County Jail on $350,000 bail, Austin Police Department officials said.

Police were called in response to a disturbance inside the club that led to Gonzalez being escorted outside, according to the affidavit. When police arrived, they found Godinez shot to death in the parking lot.

The shooting was the second fatal incident at La Rumba this year, according to police, and the fourth slaying in the Riverside Drive area this year. Police said at a press conference Monday that they have been called to La Rumba 108 times this year and officials plan to increase patrols in the area.

The shooting is being investigated as the 20th murder in Austin in 2008, police said.

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October 23, 2008

Body found in pickup truck shot in the head

The body of Rafael Guadalupe Buenrostro Charre, 25, was found in the bed of a stolen pickup truck Wednesday in Southeastern Travis County. He had a gunshot wound in the head, according to new information released this evening by the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.

Charre was from the San Luis Potosi state of Mexico.

The red Chevy pickup truck had been abandoned in a wooded area near Forest Glenn Cove off Timber Hills Drive. An autopsy revealed that the man’s head had a gunshot wound in it.

Officials provided no other details about the incident. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 974-0845.

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September 8, 2008

2 Fort Hood soldiers shot in morning disturbance

Killeen police are investigating the fatal shooting of two Fort Hood soldiers.

Police spokeswoman Carroll Smith said that a soldier shot his lieutenant, then shot himself when police confronted him at around 8:39 a.m. this morning.

The names of the men involved in the incident were not released pending notification of their families, Smith said.

According to investigators, a Fort Hood lieutenant and his staff sergeant went to the soldier’s home this morning. A fight started, Smith said, and a witness who saw the soldier with a gun called police.

When officers arrived at the soldier’s home at 1807 N. Second St., they saw the soldier shoot the lieutenant, Smith said. Officers shot at the man, Smith said, before the soldier turned the gun on himself.

The lieutenant and the soldier were pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Bill Cooke. The staff sergeant was not injured in the incident.

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