Suspect Fatally Shot By Police In East Austin Hostage Situation

AUSTIN, TX — A man was shot dead by police after taking two hostages following a break-in at an East Austin home on Wednesday, the police chief said.

Initially, police were called just before 5:20 p.m. after a car crashed into a house along the 2900 block of Rogge Lane near the intersection with Manor Road, police first alerted on Twitter. In a subsequent news conference, Austin Police Department Chief Brian Manley said another caller some five minutes later reported a break-in at another home further down the same street.

Arriving officers forced entry into the home after hearing screams from inside, only to be met with gunfire, Manley said. One of the officers returned fire before retreating from the home, the chief added. It's unknown if the suspect was hit at that time, Manley said, adding that one officer sustained a minor injury that could be shrapnel but may also be wood or glass fragments.

It was later determined that a woman and a ten-year-old boy were inside the house that had been broken into by the suspect, who the chief described as a 21-year-old man. After unsuccessful attempts to coax the suspect into surrendering, he emerged at around 6:20 p.m. while carrying the child as a hostage, Manley said. The chief said it was then that a SWAT officer fired his weapon at the suspect, killing him.

The woman and child that had been taken hostage were unharmed, according to the police chief. The two officers who fired their weapons— one with eight years on the police force, the other with 13 years on the job — have been placed on adminisrative duty per standard police protocol pending the outcome of the investigation, Manley said.

Manley said various investigations will be conducted concurrently with the police oversight office and members of the Travis County District Attorney's office. The chief said potential bodycam video of the incident will be assessed as part of the police probe. No further details were disclosed.