A man was fatally shot by Austin police early Monday after he was discovered "actively stabbing" a woman in a North Austin apartment. The violent encounter, which caused multiple life-threatening injuries to the woman, occurred at the San Paloma Apartments on Tech Ridge Boulevard, as reported by CBS Austin. Residents reported the disturbance to 911 with calls describing hearing "yelling, screaming, banging and calls for help," according to Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson in a statement obtained by KXAN.
The incident, which residents said to have heard but did not seem to be phased by, quickly escalated leading to the police intervention. "To protect the life of the victim, the officer also discharged his department issued firearm striking the male suspect," Henderson told CBS Austin. The officer involved in the shooting had five years of service with the Austin Police Department and has since been placed on administrative duty per APD protocol. Details concerning the relationship between the man and the woman have not been released, with APD continuing to investigate the event.
Austin has seen a significant disparity in the number of fatal stabbings as opposed to shootings over recent years. KXAN compiled data showing that since 2018, there have been 36 total stabbing deaths compared to 287 deaths from gunfire. Adding context to the rarity of such events, the numbers provide a stark comparison with 2024's count at 19 shooting deaths and 2 stabbing deaths as of now.
Despite the early morning violence, local residents like Lily Mejia expressed a sense of safety in the community, albeit shaken by the incident. "I've never heard of any other problems here. I feel pretty safe here. So, the fact there was something that happened last night is a little concerning but hoping it’s not like a continuous issue…I’m hoping it’s not an issue for the community. I don’t know, that sounds really scary," Mejia told KXAN. The scene of the crime was processed throughout Monday, with the APD expected to shortly release body cam footage of the incident following policy. Anyone with further information is encouraged to contact the Austin Police Department or Capital Area Crime Stoppers.
