Last week's shooting incident in Northwest Austin has taken a grave turn, with charges against the suspect, 27-year-old Waleed Beriji, escalated to first-degree murder after the death of the victim, 26-year-old Noah Talbott. As reported by CBS Austin, the altercation between Beriji and Talbott was over a debt, and it ended tragically with Talbott sustaining a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
Responding to the initial call on May 29 just after midnight, Austin Police Department (APD) officers discovered Talbott injured at the Westdale Point Apartments. He was then transported to a local hospital, where, with life-threatening injuries, he passed away over the next 24 hours, as stated by FOX 7 Austin.
Following Talbott's passing, Beriji, who had initially been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, saw his charges upgraded. According to police investigations, the two men had reportedly used drugs that evening before the deadly exchange took place. During the argument, Beriji is alleged to have produced a handgun from his bag and shot Talbott in the head, then fled from the apartment complex scene.
Beriji was apprehended by APD in the 3000 block of South Congress, a significant distance from where the shooting took place. In addition to the murder charge, sources from FOX 7 Austin reveal Beriji had an existing warrant for assaulting a family member from the previous year, awaiting him. This incident has been marked as Austin's 27th homicide in the year 2025.
The current bond for Beriji is set at $300,000, with conditions such as wearing a GPS monitor, no contact with the complaining witness, and a requisite drug evaluation, as reported by FOX 7 Austin. Austin police encourage anyone with information related to the case to reach out to the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS or submit an anonymous tip through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.
