AUSTIN, Texas — A 17-year-old fatally shot by police officers in northeast Austin early Friday morning may have been trying to commit suicide by police, according to the department.
Austin 911 received a call at 3:51 a.m. reporting that a young person was in a parking lot in the 10100 block of Baden Lane with what appeared to be a gun in his waistband. The caller said the person kept “messing with his waistband” and appeared to be brandishing the weapon, though the caller said he wasn’t certain what he had seen.
Officers arrived within two minutes and found a person matching that description on a playground near a community park in the same block, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said. Officers gave the teen verbal commands to keep his hands up and asked if he was okay.
Body camera footage released by police shows officers repeatedly telling the teen to keep his hands up before he lifted his shirt and reached toward his waistband. At 4:02 a.m., Officers Jake Pitcher, Alexis Cruz and Avery Zucchi opened fire, according to APD.
Officers secured the scene and began performing medical aid, and Austin-Travis County EMS continued life-saving efforts after arriving, but the teen was pronounced dead at 4:25 a.m.
No firearm was found. Investigators later determined that a water bottle had been in his waistband, Davis said. Police also determined that the original 911 call had come from the teen’s own phone and that he was the one who had made it, leading investigators to believe the incident was “potentially a suicide by police.”
“I’ve been in law enforcement for over three decades … and all points are indicating that this was a suicide by police,” Davis said.
Officers Pitcher, Cruz and Zucchi have been placed on administrative leave, per APD protocol. Police said the department had no prior interactions with the teen. His name will be released once the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office makes a positive identification, according to APD.
Davis said she chose to release the body camera video the same day “to preserve public trust” and to keep the community from “dealing in rumors.”
“There’s not an officer that comes to work wanting to be involved in a shooting, and certainly not one that involves a 17-year-old child,” Davis said. “As a parent, I think about this family and what they’re going through. It’s absolutely devastating. But these officers arrived on scene thinking they were dealing with someone that had a gun in their waistband. These are split-second decisions, and this is the effect of that.”
Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock shared the following statement:
Officers involved shootings are incredibly difficult and stressful situations for everyone involved. No officer wants to be put in a position to use lethal force – but ultimately the actions of the subject determines the outcome. Officers frequently have to make split second decisions based on limited information. Our officers want to help people and never want to be used as a means for someone to end their life. These incidents take a heavy toll on officers as they work through the decisions they had to make and outcomes. Every officer knows this is a potential reality they may face – but never what they hope for.
The exact number of shots fired remains under investigation, police said. No officers or bystanders were injured.
APD is conducting two concurrent investigations: a criminal investigation by the department’s Special Investigations Unit, in conjunction with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, and an administrative investigation by APD’s Internal Affairs Unit, with oversight from Austin Police Oversight. The Travis County DA’s office and Austin Police Oversight have already reviewed the audio and video materials released Friday.
Anyone with information is asked to call APD’s Special Investigations Unit at (512) 974-6840, email [email protected], or contact Capital Area Crime Stoppers at (512) 472-8477 or austincrimestoppers.org. Tips may be submitted anonymously.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, help is available by calling or texting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
