Suspect arrested in shooting at Southeast Austin apartment complex
On April 7, 2021, arrest warrants were obtained on O’Neal for first-degree felony murder and second-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon – serious bodily injury.
AUSTIN, Texas - The Lone Star Fugitive Task Force has arrested a suspect on first-degree murder charges following a shooting in Southeast Austin Tuesday morning.
On Tuesday, April 6, at approximately 12:26 a.m., Austin 911 says it received a call about a male subject that had been shot in the parking lot of the apartment complex located at 7330 Bluff Springs Rd.
Austin-Travis County EMS and APD officers arrived on the scene. Despite life savings efforts, police say the victim succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at 12:49 a.m.
Homicide investigators and crime scene personnel arrived on the scene and began to investigate.
According to witnesses, the suspect was seen leaving the apartment complex in a white four-door sedan. The Travis County Medical Examiner’s office conducted an autopsy and determined the official cause of death to be a gunshot wound and the manner homicide.
Through further investigation, homicide detectives say they were able to identify a suspect, Francois O’Neal.
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Police say O’Neal was found with a weapon in his possession that matched the ballistics to the murder scene. The ballistics also matched shell casings recovered from a shooting that occurred on April 5, 2021, just 24 hours earlier at 12820 N. Lamar Blvd. The victim’s shooting injuries, in that case, were not life-threatening.
On April 7, 2021, arrest warrants were obtained on O’Neal for first-degree felony murder and second-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon – serious bodily injury.
O’Neal was arrested by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force later that same evening. His bond has been set at $1,000,000 ($750,000 for homicide and $250,000 for aggravated assault).
This is Austin’s 22nd homicide of 2021.
Detectives are asking anyone with information or video of the incident to call APD Homicide at 512-974-TIPS, email homicide.apd@austintexas.gov, utilize the Crime Stoppers tip line at 512-472-8477 (TIPS), or the Crime Stoppers app. You may remain anonymous. You can also submit tips by downloading APD’s mobile app, Austin PD, free on iPhone and Android.