Two Austin police officers were injured Sunday night in a shooting at a residential duplex in Southeast Austin after responding to an unknown, urgent call.
Three officers arrived at the duplex on the 5500 block of Ponciana Drive at 10:50 p.m. and spoke with a resident on the rear side of the duplex, who said they didn’t call 911, interim Police Chief Brian Manley said.
Manley said the caller requested police but was then disconnected. Before leaving the scene, officers knocked on the other side of the duplex multiple times but no one answered. Someone fired shots from inside the residence as officers were leaving, striking one officer in his right arm. Another officer suffered injuries to his hands and knees that were likely born from his attempt to evade gunfire, according to Manley. The three officers ran from the front of the house, jumped over a fence, and called police dispatchers for help.
Police evacuated residents in the surrounding area. Then, the SWAT team utilized a robot to break down the front door because police did not know whether more people were inside the home or injured from the gunshots, Manley said.
Police have video from vehicle cameras and the SWAT robot showing the suspected gunman coming out of the front door with a woman, according to Manley. A SWAT officer then shot and killed the man. The woman was uninjured and not taken to a hospital.
“The neighborhood is safe now, and the incident has concluded,” Manley said around 3:35 a.m. Monday.
The Josephine Houston Elementary School across the street from the shooting will have a delayed start at 10 a.m. Monday as police investigate the shooting.
Neither officer’s injury is expected to be life-threatening. One officer has been described as a man in his 30s, the other, a man in his 50s, according to Austin-Travis County EMS officials.
The Star will continue to update this story as details become available.