A man is facing charges after police say he fired multiple shots toward a busy South Austin shopping center Friday evening, striking several vehicles and a nearby business before an officer chased him down on foot. No one was injured, but the gunfire sent a jolt through one of the area's busiest retail corridors just before 8 p.m.
Austin police officers responded to reports of shots fired near the Chick-fil-A at 161 W. Slaughter Lane at about 7:40 p.m. Friday, according to CBS Austin. An officer on scene reportedly saw a man firing a handgun toward the shopping center and gave chase as the suspect ran away, the outlet reported.
Officers arrested Keontray Bailey and recovered a handgun along the path he had run, per the same report. Investigators later found bullet damage to several vehicles and a nearby business, though police said no one was hurt in the shooting.
Charges Filed Against Suspect
Bailey was charged with deadly conduct, evading arrest, and tampering with evidence, according to the CBS Austin report.
Police found a handgun along the path Bailey ran. Texas Penal Code Section 37.09 classifies altering, destroying, or concealing physical evidence during an active investigation as another third-degree felony, also punishable by two to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine, per Varghese Summersett PLLC. Separately, fleeing on foot from an officer attempting a lawful arrest is charged as a Class A misdemeanor under Section 38.04, carrying up to a year in county jail and a $4,000 fine, according to the Murphy & McKinney Law Firm.
Any prosecution arising from the arrest would fall under the jurisdiction of the Travis County District Attorney's Office, which handles felony cases stemming from Austin arrests, including deadly conduct and evidence tampering charges, per the Travis County District Attorney's Office. Bailey was charged with deadly conduct, evading arrest and tampering with evidence.
A Booming Retail Corridor Already on Edge
The Chick-fil-A sits inside Southpark Meadows, a 435-acre master-planned development at Interstate 35 and Slaughter Lane with roughly 1.6 million square feet of retail space, according to the Endeavor Real Estate Group.
Retail expansion has taken place around Southpark Meadows and Slaughter Lane.
From Concert Grounds to Crime Scene
Long before it became Austin's largest retail hub, the Southpark Meadows property hosted a very different kind of crowd. The site served as an outdoor music venue and hosted major concerts in the 1990s.
Austin has a publicly accessible incident database through the City of Austin Open Data Portal. Bailey's case moves forward as prosecutors in Travis County determine how the charges will proceed.
