An officer-involved shooting took place early Sunday in North Austin, leaving one person with a gunshot wound to the neck, following an alleged drive-by incident, as per the Austin Police Department (APD). The events unfolded near Northgate Boulevard and West Rundberg Lane, and the individual wounded was later discovered in a vehicle parked on a side street.
According to APD Chief Lisa Davis, the incident began when an officer "witnessed a drive-by shooting" and proceeded to follow the suspected vehicle while alerting dispatch. As reported by KXAN, the officer attempted to give commands and a warning before decisively opening fire as the vehicle turned onto Parkfield Drive and failed to stop.
APD Chief Davis mentioned during a press briefing that the vehicle "continued to drive away" after the officer discharged their weapon. The question remains whether the gunshot wound sustained by the person found in the vehicle was caused by the officer's service weapon, although a firearm was indeed recovered from inside the vehicle.
The injured individual received medical attention after being transported to a local hospital. An officer-involved shooting investigation is currently underway, and the officer involved was being interviewed as part of the investigative process. KVUE reported that the driver was commanded to stop, and subsequently was shot at as the vehicle kept moving, with two shots fired according to Chief Davis.
While one person has been detained and charged with deadly conduct in connection with the incident, the identity of the charged individual and their relationship to the person shot have not been released. APD has not yet clarified if the person charged is the same person who was injured during the sequence of events. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to piece together the circumstances that led to the confrontation and subsequent injury.
