19-year-old charged with Austin murder
The Austin Police Department has made an arrest in fatal shooting that happened on Thursday, December 29.
According to police, on Thursday, December 29, 2016 at approximately 1:28 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 12900 block of Quinn Trail. Upon entering the residence, officers observed an individual performing CPR on a male victim with obvious trauma to his body.
Officers took over resuscitation efforts until Austin-Travis County EMS arrived. The victim, Anthony E. Brown, was transported to St. David’s Medical Center in Round Rock, where he was pronounced deceased.
Austin Police Homicide detectives began conducting an investigation and learned that Anthony Brown resided at 12907 Quinn Trail. He had agreed to meet two males at the residence for the purpose of selling them a quantity of marijuana. The two males arrived at the residence and knocked on the door. Brown stepped onto the front porch to speak with the two men.
During the transaction, Brown was shot in the chest.
An autopsy was performed on December 30, 2016 at the Travis County Medical Examiner’s office. The manner of death for Anthony Brown was ruled Homicide and the cause of death was ruled a gunshot wound to the chest.
Detectives learned that Brown had a 30-second telephone call just before the shooting from an individual named Mosses Howell. Detectives were initially unable to locate Howell. However, discussions with Howell’s former girlfriend revealed that she and Howell had been text messaging since December 28, 2016.
In one conversation, Howell told his ex-girlfriend that he could not be in Austin because he had shot someone during an attempted robbery at a residence.
On January 3, 2017, charged Mosses Howell with Murder, a 1st degree felony. Bond was set at $150,000. The warrant was turned over to the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, who located and arrested Howell the same day.
This is an ongoing investigation. Additional information will be released when the investigation permits. However, more arrests are expected. Detectives do not believe there is any increased risk to the public based on what has been learned at this point.