APD continues investigation into Christmas Eve shooting incident

An officer-involved shooting incident that occurred on Christmas Eve night is being investigated by the Austin Police Department.

APD received a 911 call for a two-vehicle crash at approximately 10:36 p.m. stating that a man was bleeding from his face. The crash happened at the intersection of US Highway 183 and Cameron Road. 

Moments after the initial call, several individual 911 callers reportedly stated that a shirtless, Hispanic man was walking in the area of the crash carrying and waving around a black rifle. It was further stated that the man began pointing the rifle at people and firing shots into the air. APD attempted to locate the crash and the man with the rifle. 

About 20 minutes later, an APD sergeant in the area heard a gunshot and located the man approximately one minute later. The man was still carrying the rifle and walking southbound on the sidewalk. The male was later identified as Juventino Navejar, according to the Austin Police Department.

The sergeant stopped his police vehicle and retrieved his department-issued shotgun before exiting the vehicle. After giving several commands to Mr. Navejar to drop the rifle, the suspect did not comply. Mr. Navejar continued to move towards the officer with the rifle in hand. The officer fired a single round from the shotgun towards the suspect, striking Mr. Navejar and causing him to fall to the ground.

The officer was then able to move the rifle away from the suspect, and additional APD officers along with Austin-Travis County EMS arrived on scene. After being treated at the scene, Mr. Navejar was taken to a local hospital where he remains in stable condition. Although he sustained serious injuries, they are not life-threatening. No one else on scene including witnesses and officers sustained any physical injuries. 

A body-worn camera captured the incident. The officer involved has been place on administrative leave, per APD protocol. Two concurrent investigations will be conducted by APD– a criminal investigation by the APD Special Investigations Unit in conjunction with the Travis County District Attorney's Office, and an administrative investigation conducted by the APD Internal Affairs Unit, with oversight from the Office of Police Oversight.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS, or use the new Crime Stoppers App.

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