Body-camera footage released by the Austin Police Department shows the teen lifting his shirt and reaching toward his waistband before three officers opened fire
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NEED TO KNOW
- A 17-year-old boy in Austin, Texas, was fatally shot by police officers responding to a 911 call reporting an armed suspect on July 24
- Investigators later determined the boy had a water bottle in his waistband, not a gun
- Police also determined that the 911 call came from the teen’s phone and said investigators believe he was the caller
Police officers in Austin, Texas, responded to a 911 call reporting an armed teenager, and minutes later, a 17-year-old boy was dead.
The Austin Police Department (APD) said in a press release that officers responded to a call reporting a person who was armed with a gun near a park in the 10100 block of Baden Lane at around 3:51 a.m. local time on Friday, July 24. APD Chief Lisa Davis said at a news conference on Friday that the caller said the person had a handgun in his waistband and was brandishing it.
“There seems to be a kid, and it looks like he has a gun. I’m not sure, but he keeps on messing with his waistband. I see something in his hands, it looked like a firearm, but I’m not sure,” the caller said, according to audio of the 911 call released by the APD.
When officers arrived at the park, they approached a person who matched the caller’s description. “Officers attempted to de-escalate the encounter by directing the person to keep his hands up,” the APD said.
Davis said the person then “very quickly, very suddenly” lifted his sweatshirt with one hand and reached into his waistband with his other hand.
Police body-camera footage released by the APD shows the moment when the person reached toward his waistband. At approximately 4:02 a.m., the three officers discharged their firearms, striking the individual.
The person, identified by police as a 17-year-old Black male, was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:25 a.m., per the APD.
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Police later determined that the 911 call was made from the 17-year-old’s phone, and Davis said investigators believe the teen was the caller. Davis said those findings led investigators to believe the shooting was “potentially a suicide by police.”
The police chief also said the object in the teen’s waistband was a water bottle, not a gun.
Addressing the fatal shooting, Davis said, “Officers are often required to make life or death decisions in seconds. This was a rapidly evolving incident. Our commitment now is to examine the facts, the evidence, the officer’s actions, and the applicable law.”
“A young man lost his life,” she added. “I cannot imagine the pain and the grief that his family is going through, and I want them to know that I am thinking about them. And I am very sorry about this incident.”
The three officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, according to the APD’s release. The department is conducting both a criminal investigation and an internal investigation into the incident.
Police have not released the teen’s name pending a positive identification by the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Austin Police Department for more information.
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