The city of Austin is grappling with a concerning surge in homicide cases, with six tragic deaths occurring in less than two weeks. According to a recent press conference, the Austin Police Department (APD) is fervently investigating these incidents, which have pushed the year's homicide tally to 62, a figure that's approaching last year’s total of 73. "It's difficult to pinpoint exactly the reasons why. We've seen this spike over a short, short period of time," Lieutenant Sheldon Askew revealed in a statement obtained by CBS Austin. He emphasized that the cases seem to be unrelated, as stated at the news conference on Tuesday, November 19.
Call volumes stress APD's resources, not discounting an overburdened Homicide unit. "We've seen tremendous spike in the number of homicides since 2020 especially, and obviously this unit bears responsibility to thoroughly investigate and hold those people accountable and responsible," said Askew during the conference. APD Chief Lisa Davis, who stepped into her role in August, has noted a stark increase in homicides since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a departure from the annual norm of 25-30 murders per year, reported by My San Antonio.
The recent string of homicides began on November 7 with the fatal shooting of Shelby Wayne Cody, who had reportedly arranged to meet someone before being killed. Matthew Escalante met a similar fate the next day, succumbing to gunshot wounds after a planned meeting turned deadly. The series of violent acts continued with the stabbing death of Elijah Martinez on November 10, the arrest of Luis Marroquin for the alleged stabbing of Marco Antonio Nunez-Mayan on November 13, and the shooting of Travis Holland by his brother-in-law on November 15. The most recent incident, a shooting at a North Austin apartment complex, tragically claimed the life of Jessica Shaw on November 16 and resulted in the arrest of Noah Mata, charged with first-degree aggravated robbery. His stray bullet, fired during an unrelated altercation, found its way into Shaw's apartment, marking Austin's 62nd homicide of the year.
These serial incidents have triggered critical comments from Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock accusing the justice system of failing to properly handle repeat offenders. "We have had too many instances where we have repeat offenders, that, even when they're committing low-level crime, they start escalating, and it turns into serious violent offenses where someone winds up dying," Bullock told CBS Austin. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Askew maintains a professional stance, acknowledging a strained but determined effort to collaborate effectively with the District Attorney's office. "We don't always understand, necessarily, the reasons why things don't end in the way in which we would prefer them to, but oftentimes we don't have the luxury of knowing everything that's going on behind the scenes," Askew told reporters.
APD's commitment to solving these cases and preventing further violence remains steadfast. Chief Lisa Davis is seeking to foster a thorough relationship with District Attorney Garza, including monthly meetings to streamline coordination between their offices. While the police work on this recent batch of cases, the community seeks answers and assurances as the holiday season approaches, carrying the hope for calm and safety in the aftermath of these tragedies.
