19-year-old wounded in officer-involved shooting; suspect identified

A 19-year-old man is in the hospital in stable condition tonight after an officer-involved shooting that police say he initiated.

APD released the following statement just after 2:00 P.M. on Tuesday:

Early Tuesday morning the APD SWAT team worked to surround a man who called 9-1-1 on the Odom Elementary School campus. Police say he claimed to be armed with a machete and a gun and was quote waiting for officers.

As they secured the area, calling 1,500 residents to warn them to stay inside, the 19-year-old talked on the phone with a hostage negotiator.

"One thing that he was doing with a hostage negotiator is saying 'where are the cops? I don't see you guys? Where are you guys? When are you guys going to get here?' The hostage negotiator was telling him 'we are here, we are here, we are just here to help you we need you to calm down' trying to come the man down,’” said Chief Art Acevedo.

Then, at 6 A.M., Chief Art Acevedo says the man spotted the swat officers.

"He says 'oh I see them, I see them now. And then as the react team is approaching using the bearcat for cover the subject states to the hostage negotiator ‘watch this,’” said Acevedo. "Unbeknownst to the hostage negotiator he's bringing up his right arm, which we believe he had a machete with the blade shoved up toward his body, toward the armpit and the handle in his hand and within seconds hostage negotiator heard the SWAT team broadcast 'shots fired.'"

The man was shot once in the stomach. Acevedo says it was the kind of reaction the man wanted.

"In preliminary conversations with his family he is distraught over a recent break up with a girlfriend. According to them he goes through episodes of depression when he has emotional issues going on in his life,” said Acevedo.

The gunfire startled neighbors out of their beds.

"I heard a loud boom. It woke me up and I came outside and saw all of this. It was scary,” said neighbor Raymond Cruz.

Now that they are learning just why the shooting occurred, they feel sympathy for all involved.

"It's sad for the family, for him and for the community to see something like that happen,” said neighbor Ali Kherani.

A gun was not found.The officer involved has been with APD for 15 years. He is on paid administrative leave as is customary in these situations.


Police say a man is custody after a SWAT standoff in South Austin that led to an officer involved shooting. It happened in the 1000 block of Turtle Creek Boulevard. More than two dozen police officers responded.

APD Chief Art Acevedo says that the suspect was walking around Odom Elementary School with a machete and raised it at police. That's when the suspect was shot by an officer.

The suspect is 19-years-old. Police say he was depressed over a break up with his girlfriend and apparently wanted to die from suicide by cop.

The suspect was shot in the abdomen. He needed surgery but officials say he is in stable condition.

The officer who shot the suspect is on paid administrative leave. He is a 15 year veteran of the department.