VIDEO: South Austin restaurant owner held at gunpoint

AUSTIN, Texas - A South Austin business owner is speaking out after he was held at gunpoint.

Jeremy Shirk, the owner of Conans Pizza South, said he was just 30 minutes away from hosting a fundraiser for a local school when a pistol was pointed in his face. 

It all happened Thursday, Oct. 15, when Shirk says a homeless man entered his restaurant along W Stassney Ln.

South Austin restaurant owner speaks out 

What they're saying:

"He was just carrying bags, and he was filthy, and he was intoxicated," says Shirk, claiming the man began to make a mess once he was inside. 

Shirk then told the man to get out and followed him outside to make sure he left the restaurant. That’s when everything took a violent turn.

"When I was escorting him into the parking lot to make sure he got off my property, he turned around and pointed a gun in my face," says Shirk. 

The interaction was caught on the restaurant’s security camera. The man was seen dropping two of his bags to the ground, before taking off his backpack and reaching inside, pulling out what appeared to be a handgun. He then cycles the slide and points the weapon towards Shirk’s head multiple times, who attempted to swat it away.

"I just yelled at him, told him to get the F off my property, and he saw that I wasn't going to budge, and so he did," says Shirk.

He said the man eventually left after he was able to talk him down. 

Shirk called 911, and the Austin Police Department made an arrest a short time later. The man was identified as 30-year-old, Austin Shiel. He’s now charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.

He has a criminal history dating back to 2014, including felony assault, theft, and possession charges.

Other incidents reported in South Austin

Dig deeper:

"I've dealt with so many violent encounters in this neighborhood, I am completely desensitized to stuff like this," says Shirk. 

He claims it's far from the first time that he’s had a situation similar to this along W Stassney Lane, and places a large portion of the blame on a nonprofit, The Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center.

"They just fan out after they received the service. After Sunrise is closed, they just fan out into the neighborhoods and do what they do," says Shirk, referring to homeless people in the area.

The Sunrise Navigation Center assists the homeless with basic needs and housing support, helping as many as 300 people a day. It is the largest homeless service provider in Travis County and has claimed to have helped over 5,000 clients find safe affordable housing through various programs and support options. 

The navigation center is located along Menchaca Road in South Austin, 1.2 miles away from Conans Pizza and about a 25-minute walk. Regardless of the distance, Shirk says the center has a direct impact on safety near his business, claiming there have been multiple instances of homeless people since the center began operating in 2015.

"It was four months ago, I had someone break in the middle of the night. I had him on camera. I drove straight over to Sunrise that following morning and saw him in line to receive services from them," he said.

Sunrise Navigation Center responds

The Sunrise Navigation Center has since released a statement in response to Shirk’s recent Facebook post, saying in part:

"Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center consistently re-houses the most people out of homelessness of any non-profit organization in Central Texas. We work closely with partners at the City of Austin, Travis County and every level of law enforcement to increase public safety wherever we work, including working very closely with Austin Police Department. Every day, across Central Texas, Sunrise works with businesses, schools, government and citizens to constructively address homelessness wherever it is found using the SendSunrise.org public referral queue and Sunrise's Hotline - 512-522-1097. In the area immediately around Sunrise's South Austin Hub day center, Ambassadors clean up spaces like parks, schools, bridges and businesses every day, free of charge to the community and proudly partner with many AISD schools. We and our partners welcome cooperation from anyone looking to collaboratively find solutions for individuals and families experiencing housing insecurity."

Big picture view:

FOX 7 has previously reported on homeless activity in the William Creek Greenbelt and Westgate neighborhood close to Conans Pizza South over the years.

While Shirk agrees with the navigation center’s mission of assisting the homeless, he believes that a change of location is needed. He says he worked with Ken Paxton in 2024, when the Attorney General sued the navigation center, claiming it was, "drastically harming the quality of life in the area and endangering neighborhood residents, local businesses, and the students of a nearby elementary school."

"I absolutely agree with what they're doing. I'm totally for helping the unhoused and helping the people that want to improve their lives. I myself was homeless. Growing up. I lived in a tent," says Shirk. "I feel like the city should use every tool possible to find a better location that's further away from schools, further away from the community and have real solutions to the addiction crisis that's coming in."

What's next:

FOX 7 has reached out to the City of Austin to see if there are any current plans to address homelessness in the area along W Stassney Lane but have yet to hear a response.