The Austin Police Department is currently digging into the details of a deadly officer-involved shooting that ripped through the calm of an Austin neighborhood in the early hours of January 21, 2024. According to a press release from the department, cops responded to a 911 call at 12310 Uttimer Lane at about 12:29 a.m., arriving on the scene within minutes to a report of multiple stabbings within the residence.
Preliminary information released by the APD indicates that officers, upon their arrival, found individuals outside the house with one person bearing wounds that accused of the chaos within, where screaming could be heard. Officers decided to enter the home, confronting the armed suspect, Jose Reynaldo Martinez-Argueta, who was holding a multiply stabbed female hostage. In an attempt to "protect the life of the victim," officers fired their weapons, striking Martinez-Argueta.
Shortly after the gunshots, a distress signal blared over the police radio. Martinez-Argueta was injured in the exchange and subsequently taken to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition. The female hostage, as well as another stabbing victim, were also transported to a hospital with serious injuries but later released.
A third victim identified as Maryuri Leticia Reconco-Moncada was found fatally wounded. Despite officers' life-saving efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the APD statement, Martinez-Argueta and Reconco-Moncada were in a relationship, and a "physical disturbance" between them led to the stabbing that caused her death.
Martinez-Argueta now faces charges including one count of first-degree felony murder and two counts of second-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The APD has initiated two investigations following standard protocol; a criminal probe under the APD Special Investigations Unit in cooperation with the Travis County District Attorney's Office, and an administrative investigation by the APD Internal Affairs Unit, supervised by the Office of Police Oversight. Body camera footage from the officers at the scene exists and will play a crucial role in the ongoing investigations. The involved officers, whose tenures with the department range from 8 months to over 5 years, have been placed on administrative leave.
Authorities urge those with any information regarding the incident to reach out to the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS or submit tips anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program online or by calling 512-472-8477.
