Saturday morning, a distressing event unfolded in South Austin that left one police officer dead and another wounded. Two civilians and the suspect were also all fatally injured. The incident occurred at 9308 Bernoulli Drive.
The Austin Police Department (APD) responded to a frantic call for assistance approximately at 3 a.m. regarding a stabbing at a South Austin residence, as reported by KVUE. Upon arrival, officers discovered a suspect inside the residence holding two wounded hostages. A third person was able to escape, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
The escaped third victim was immediately transported to a local hospital. Not returning fire, the APD officers attempted to conduct an emergency rescue within the residence when they were repelled by gunfire from the suspect. The confrontation escalated into a deadly series of violent exchanges once the SWAT team arrived, as cited by the Austin American-Statesman.
Officer Jorge Pastore whose life was lost during the altercation had served the APD for three years. Close colleague and Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson praised Officer Pastore's exemplary bravery in the line of duty. He had served in a variety of units, including the Honor Guard, SWAT Gold Team, CAST, and SRT during his service tenure, as mentioned by KVUE. Officer Pastore is being mourned by his wife, two stepsons, parents, and two sisters.
The second officer injured is in stable condition, while two victims of the suspect were found deceased in the residence, according to KVUE. Body-worn camera footage captured the incident, which will contribute to two concurrent investigations being carried out by the APD, one criminal and the other administrative, under the oversight of the Travis County District Attorney's Office and the Office of Police Oversight, as mentioned in the same KVUE article.
