Cop Suspended After Handcuffed Teen Grabs Gun, Kills Himself

AUSTIN, TX — An Austin police officer was issued a 20-day suspension after an internal investigation revealed a poorly executed arrest pat-down failed to detect a hidden gun the suspect later used to kill himself while in custody, according to a published report.

Austin Police Department officer Iven Wall was found to have violated departmental policy in the poor pat-down, and will be suspended for 20 days as a result, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The 19-year-old suspect somehow managed to retrieve the gun on is person, even while handcuffed, to fatally shoot himself, according past reports.

Wall had faced a termination, but agreed not to appeal the suspension if allowed to stay on the force as part of a negotiation, according to the report. The APD has yet to release the disciplinary memo related to the incident, including details on steps taken in safeguarding the suspect, Zachary Anam, after being arrested at Barton Creek Square Mall.

Related story: Handcuffed Suspect Dies After Shooting Self While Inside Austin Police Squad Car

It was en route to the downtown police headquarters that Anam was somehow able to access the gun he had in his waistband (despite being handcuffed) and then firing the weapon while in the back of the vehicle in downtown Austin. Police classified his death as a suicide.

Ken Casaday—who was vehemently critical of former APD Chief Art Acevedo in times of police suspensions—voiced no objection to Wall's suspension. As head of the police union, Casaday helps protect the interests of the rank and file, even after officer-involved shootings where there is a clear case of police overreach, as was the case when fired officer Geoffrey Freeman fatally shot a troubled but unarmed 17-year-old running along neighborhood streets naked and confused. Casaday strongly condemned Acevedo over the firing.

This time, Casaday was largely muted: “No one can punish Officer Wall more than he has punished himself,” he told the newspaper. “This was a tragic event, and officer Wall thinks about it every day when he puts someone in the back of his patrol car.”

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