Family of man shot by APD deny he pointed the gun at officers

On April 7, Austin police officers were called to Parliament Drive in Northeast Austin about a man with a gun.

Police say 31-year-old Lawrence Parrish fired shots at officers from his porch, but later retracted that statement, saying he pointed a gun at them, and that was when four APD officers shot Parrish. He did survive.

READ: Man recovering after officer-involved shooting

“This is on video, but the video does not capture Mr. Parrish's front door based on the direction the car was pointing,” said Interim Austin Police Chief Brian Manley.

Not capturing the video is why Parrish's family and attorney question the story.

READ: Family of man shot in officer-involved shooting demand transparency

“They say get down, put your hands up and don't go back in the house. My brother says ‘I don't know who called you I don't know what's going on.’ He turns around goes into the house and A.P.D. opened up fire,” said Cluren Williams, Parrish’s brother.

Williams says his brother is in jail still, but had a finger surgically removed, something he said he was surprised to learn happened while under medical care.

“They've never even asked us. We've never given the ok to any type of medical procedures,” said Williams.

Chief Brian Manley stands by his word, saying Parrish pointed a rifle at officers, therefore they feared for their lives. The family at this time is demanding transparency and answers.

“We're not putting a protest together to build hate. This is about love, this is about support,” said Williams as they gathered at Givens Park Monday.

“We're not saying people don't mess up, we're not saying A.P.D. shouldn't do their jobs, but what we are saying is if you're going to do your job, people should be treated as humans,” said Fatima Mann, family supporter.

READ: Man shot by officers didn't fire weapon