Round Rock officer-involved shooting: Suspect had prior run-ins with police
Round Rock OIS suspect had prior run-ins with police
Round Rock police say a son stabbed his parents before officers shot and killed him at their home Tuesday morning. FOX 7 Austin's Jenna King has more.
ROUND ROCK, Texas - Round Rock police say a son stabbed his parents before officers shot and killed him at their home Tuesday morning.
The suspect is no stranger to law enforcement, and officers have been to the home before.
Less than two weeks ago, he was arrested on a charge of assault causing bodily injury to a family member.
What they're saying:
20-year-old Reece Ababao of Round Rock died at the hospital from his injuries.
Police say that Ababao had prior involvement with Round Rock police related to assault-family violence. Officers had also previously responded to the home.
His parents, victims in the stabbing and domestic violence incident that preceded the shooting, are still in the hospital in critical condition.
Ofc. Dillon Rizzo has been placed on administrative leave in accordance with department policy. Rizzo has served with RRPD since 2017.
Suspect killed in officer-involved shooting
Round Rock police are investigating after what's believed to be a domestic violence incident.
The backstory:
The incident happened at around 1 a.m. in the 2800 block of Phoenix Way near Gattis School Road on Tuesday, August 4.
Round Rock PD says officers responded after receiving a 9-1-1 call about a woman who had fled to a nearby neighbor's home after being stabbed.
When officers arrived, they heard a man yelling for help from inside the home. After announcing their presence, Round Rock PD says officers forced entry through the front door and encountered the suspect who was armed with a knife.
An officer shot the man with the knife, then found another man in the home. It was the woman’s husband, who had also been stabbed.
What's next:
The investigation is ongoing.
The Texas Rangers are leading the investigation with help from RRPD and the Williamson County District Attorney's Office.
Suspect's previous run-ins with law enforcement
Dig deeper:
Jail records reveal Ababao was booked into jail once a month for the last 3 months with charges ranging from public intoxication, possession of ketamine and assault causing bodily injury to a family member
All charges he was released day of or the following day of the incident.
Texas Advocacy Project speaks on warning signs of domestic abuse
Local perspective:
"Nobody believes that their child or their parent could be a perpetrator either. And so, you believe people can be better. You want to help them to be better, you are in it because you love them. And then isolation starts occurring; verbal abuse may occur. These incidents are going to increase," said Heather Bellino, Chief Executive Officer, Texas Advocacy Project.
The Texas Advocacy Project offers free legal help to survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, sexual assault and human trafficking.
The group says domestic violence impacts one in three Texans.
"We need to kind of take these blinders off and really be open to the fact that it doesn't always look like we expect it to look and we need you provide the protections and the supports that every person needs and when we're seeing pattern-based abuse we need to take that as seriously as possible," said Bellino.
The Texas Advocacy Project says there are warning signs to look out for.
"Extreme agitation, that can start to feel like, did I agitate this person? Did they come into it agitated? Gaslighting, that is oftentimes a big sign that something's going to continue to occur. Or elevate its risk factors. So, all of those things really need to be paid attention to," said Bellino.
The Source: Information in this report comes from the Round Rock Police Department, interviews by FOX 7 Austin's Jenna King, and previous reporting.