Man charged with murder in connection to East Austin shooting

Arrest made in East Austin shooting

A man was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the death of a 29-year-old man in East Austin.

AUSTIN, Texas - A man was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the death of a 29-year-old man in East Austin.

On June 26, members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force arrested 28-year-old Vondell Crawford in connection with the murder of 29-year-old Keaton Delcore.

Vondell Crawford

He was charged with murder and is in custody at the Travis County Jail.

The victim's mother is thankful law enforcement made an arrest.

What happened?

The backstory:

Austin police said on Sunday, June 22, around 12:29 a.m., officers and EMS responded to a call reporting a man bleeding on the ground at the Apple Mart gas station, located at 2101 Wickersham Lane.

When officers arrived, they found 29-year-old Keaton Delcore with trauma to his neck. He was taken to a local hospital but later died from his injuries.

The initial investigation showed Delcore approached a man and had an interaction with him in the parking lot of the gas station. The man then shot Delcore and left the area.

Victim's mother speaks out

Keaton Delcore

A mother is thankful after law enforcement arrested a man they believe killed her son.

"The lead detective was very helpful, worked really, really hard to make sure that it happened," Keaton Delcore’s mother, Robin Patrick, said.

"The ‘who’ I got answered and a lot of the ‘why’ is the part that's really, really difficult for me and I think over time more will be revealed, but I think there is some peace in knowing who it was," Patrick said.

"I think even though it's so devastating, and you know, there's a lot of problems with the system. I'm grateful that we have answers and can start healing," Patrick added.

Mother of victim killed in Austin shooting speaks out

Investigators with the Austin Police Department have identified the victim who was found shot in the neck this past weekend in East Austin.

She knows there’s a long road ahead fighting for justice.

"The detective said this to me, and I didn't realize it before that, but this is where this is truly just the beginning. It's going to be a long process, it’s going to be a lot of pain throughout that. I think I’m honestly just kind of dreading what's going to happen in the future for a while," Patrick said.

For now, Patrick is holding onto the fond memories she has of her son.

"I'm just grateful that I got to spend 29 years with my son and he, despite any struggles he had, he was an amazing human being," Patrick said.

If you would like to help the family, a GoFundMe has been created.