Chaos erupted at the Summer Grove apartment complex on April 27 when a gunman reportedly held several men at gunpoint and exchanged gunfire with police, resulting in his death. The Austin Police Department (APD) is now piecing together the events that led to this fatal officer-involved shooting at the residence on 7905 San Felipe Boulevard, according to a statement released by the department.
It began with a 9-1-1 call shortly after midnight, with multiple reports of a white male pacing the complex with a rifle, and gunshots heard by residents. In response, APD dispatched officers to the scene, searching on foot for the suspect, described by callers advising the white male was holding four to five Hispanic males at gunpoint, which arrived at 12:22 a.m. to investigate.
The suspect, later identified as 34-year-old Thomas Dray Price, was confronted by the officers after they made contact with several subjects outside an apartment building. The officers, trained for tense situations like this, announced their presence and commanded in both English and Spanish for everyone to show their hands. As described in the APD's account of the incident, Price then appeared from the building, ignoring repeated commands to drop his weapon, and "raised a firearm and pointed the firearm in the direction of the officers." This prompted two officers to fire their Department-approved firearms, striking Mr. Price.
The officers attempted life-saving efforts after handcuffing the unresponsive Price still clutching his firearm. They were joined by Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (A/TCEMS) upon their arrival at 1:11 a.m., who transported Mr. Price to a local hospital, of where he was later pronounced deceased at 1:39 a.m. No other individuals were injured in the incident, captured on the officer’s body-worn cameras with a promise from APD to release the footage within ten working days.
With investigations underway both criminally by the APD Special Investigations Unit and administratively by the APD Internal Affairs Unit, with oversight from the Office of Police Oversight, the truth of that fateful night's events is vetted thoroughly. The officers who discharged their firearms had served four and two years respectively with the Department. APD encourages anyone with information to reach out to their Special Investigation Unit or Capitol Area Crime Stoppers, reminding potential informants that they can remain anonymous.
