Austin officer-involved shooting: City council members demand answers in teen's death

AUSTIN, Texas - After a teenager was killed in an officer-involved shooting, some Austin City leaders are now demanding answers. 

Over the weekend, city council members took to social media to call for accountability in the death of a 17-year-old.

Deadly Austin officer-involved shooting

The backstory:

It all stems back to an incident in the early morning hours of July 24. Austin police officers responded to a call in the 10100 block of Baden Lane near Dessau Road. 

APD Chief Lisa Davis says one 911 call was received from an individual who said that there was a young person in the area with a handgun in his waistband who was, at times, brandishing the gun.

"There seems to be a kid, and it looks like he has a gun. I'm not sure, but he keeps on messing with his waistband. I see something in his hands, it looked like a firearm, but I'm not sure," a 911 call said.

Officers arrived at a nearby park and began interacting with a person who matched the description. Body cam footage showed officers asking the person multiple times if they were alright. Officers then gave directions to make sure they could see the person’s hands. That’s when APD says that the person lifted his sweatshirt and reached for his waistband. Officers fired several shots, and the 17-year-old would be pronounced dead at the scene. 

Chief Lisa Davis says the incident was a potential suicide by police.

"Officers did not locate a firearm at the scene. It was later determined that a water bottle was in his waistband and the initial 911 call originated from the deceased's own phone," said Davis.

Austin City Council members speak out

What they're saying:

In recent days, multiple Austin City Council members have released statements on social media, with transparency a common theme among the posts.

"After watching the body camera footage, I have more questions than answers. As we debate next year’s budget and ask the public to trust our public safety institutions, that trust will be earned through transparency and accountability," said Councilman Zo Qadri in an Instagram post.

"Our hearts break for the family of the 17-year-old whose life was lost Friday morning. The loss of a young life is a tragedy no matter the circumstances. But gun violence, especially at the hands of those meant to protect us, demands answers and accountability," Councilwoman Vanessa Fuentes would also say in a post.

In their posts, many of the Austin City Council members also called for greater attention to mental health.

"Every loss of life is heartbreaking. Every family deserves answers. And our community deserves to know that every possible effort was made to respond with compassion, care, and de-escalation during a mental health crisis," said Councilman Jose Velasquez online.

The other side:

But for the Austin Police Association, they say that transparency is always one of the top priorities when these investigations unfold.

"This incident in particular is a tragic one and the department isn't hiding anything," says Michael Bullock, president of the APA. "The body camera footage was put out there within about eight hours in the hopes of trying to be more transparent and to show everybody what’s going on. So my hope is with that is that we can move away from these becoming politically charged issues because that's the whole goal of policing is for it to be unbiased and not influenced by politics."

While the public may have the chance to slow down and analyze the video, Bullock says that’s not an opportunity which is available for the officers involved.

"The officers don't get to hit the pause, they don't get to rewind, they don't get to do things in slow motion. It is real time," Bullock said.

"We have been trying for the last six years to find new avenues for medical professionals and other people to be involved in mental health treatment," says Bullock. "Officers didn't ask to be in the middle of a mental health crisis, but yet we're still called to these scenes. And sometimes officers may or may not even know that a mental health component is part of it."