(ConservativeInsider.org) – On Saturday, December 16th, three police officers responding to a disturbance call outside a bar in downtown Austin, Texas, fatally shot a suspect. The officers opened fire when the assailant allegedly pointed a pistol at them, injuring three bystanders.
According to a police statement, gunfire erupted shortly before midnight at a bar on the 200 block of East Sixth Street in downtown Austin—a vibrant area with numerous live music venues, restaurants, and bars subject to Texas penal code regulations that prohibit carrying firearms inside bars.
At a news conference on Sunday, Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson reported that at 11:52 p.m. on Saturday, the police responded to a call about a man attempting to enter the bar with a gun. Upon the arrival of police officers, bar employees identified the suspect standing outside, prompting the officers to approach him.
Henderson said the suspect took out his gun and pointed it at officers and bystanders. In response, the three APD officers on duty shot the suspect. The suspect sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was confirmed dead later.
The Police Chief reported that while none of the officers were injured, three individuals standing nearby were injured in the shootout. One of them, in critical condition, was rushed to the hospital. It was not immediately clarified whether bystanders’ injuries resulted from gunfire or another cause. However, Henderson confirmed the other two individuals sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The officers’ body-worn camera footage, mandated to be released within two weeks, captured the incident, per department policy.
The authorities did not immediately disclose the suspect’s name. Still, the Police Chief said that the three officers involved in the shooting were on administrative duty, following the police department’s protocol for such incidents. Additionally, she said that the officers involved in the fatal incident have each served in the Department for more than a decade. The police department’s Special Investigations Unit, in collaboration with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, is currently investigating the incident.
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