Austin murder suspect sat on porch covered in sheet before shooting: witness
AUSTIN, Texas - Homicide detectives have arrested a man in connection to a North Austin murder that happened on November 15 just before 1 a.m.
Details from the arrest warrant reveal what may have happened. This is the 61st homicide of 2024, according to police.
Officers were called to the Thurmond Heights apartment complex on Goldfinch Court off Thurmond Street and N Lamar Boulevard near US 183 for reports of a shooting.
They found 32-year-old Travis Holland on the ground. He had been shot in the head, and he died at the scene.
Officers were able to detain the suspect, 31-year-old William Bruce.
Man charged with murder in early morning homicide in North Austin
Austin police have made an arrest in connection with a homicide at a North Austin apartment complex.
The investigation revealed Holland was walking around the area when he was shot with a shotgun by Bruce from his front porch. When questioned by police, Bruce said he was the person who shot the gun by saying, "I shot."
Holland's body was found about 60 feet from Bruce's back porch. Near the porch, five shotgun shells were found in the grassy common area.
Holland was not armed at the time of the shooting, according to the arrest warrant.
The arrest warrant
A witness told police she was with Holland at the time of the shooting. They were walking together to a friend's house when she said she saw someone sitting on the back patio of the porch of one of the units. She said the person was covered in a white sheet. On the way back from the friend's house, the person covered in the sheet started making comments to Holland.
She reported the man in the sheet and Holland began to argue and the man in the sheet shot Holland from the porch, then began shooting at her.
When questioned by police, Bruce said he was awakened by family members about someone trying to break into the house. He said for the past few months, there had been an ongoing disturbance between him, the witness, and her family and friends, including Holland.
Bruce told police he thought the witness and Holland were the ones trying to break in. When they passed by the porch again, he said they began arguing with him. He told police he thought Holland was armed and feared for his life because he had his hand inside his front right pocket.
The court documents show that Bruce told police he warned Holland to get back and said Holland taunted him. He said the witness began to approach with her hand in her purse. He said he shot towards Holland and reacted by taking a small step towards him. He said he shot again at Holland, causing him to turn and walk away. He said the shotgun went off accidentally in the direction where Holland was walking.
According to the affidavit from Austin Police, the investigator found no evidence to suggest Holland approached the back porch. Instead, it suggests Holland was 60 feet away. There was no evidence the witness approached the porch either.
Bruce was charged with first-degree murder and second-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is currently in the Travis County Jail and bond has been set at $500,000 for both offenses, according to jail records.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or by calling 512-472-8477.
A reward up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest.
Multiple homicides in 10 days
APD investigating five homicides in nine days across Austin
Austin police are investigating five homicides across the city in nine days.
The homicide at the Thurmond Heights Apartments was the fifth in a string of homicides over ten days.
The first homicide happened Thursday, Nov. 7 at a little after 4:30 p.m. in East Austin on Rosewood Avenue. Investigators said 20-year-old Matthew Escalante was meeting up with someone and was shot. The suspect fled with other people.
The second homicide happened about an hour and a half later in Northeast Austin. 30-year-old Lavonta Harrison allegedly shot and killed 33-year-old Shelby Wayne Cody who was standing outside the Texas Health and Human Services building when Harrison pulled up.
Harrison has been charged with first-degree murder in Cody's death.
The third homicide happened on Sunday in Southeast Austin at East William Cannon Drive. Police said at around 6:30 p.m. Elijah Martinez was stabbed in the chest in a homeless encampment next to the AutoZone. A suspect has not been arrested yet.
The fourth homicide happened on Wednesday at a gas station in South Austin. Court documents said 32-year-old Luis Marroquin admitted to stabbing a man he knew as ‘Flacco’ after he had said something he didn’t like. He said he didn’t mean to kill him, just intended to hurt him. The victim has not been identified as of Friday, Nov. 15.
Woman shot, killed at North Austin apartment complex: APD
A fatal shooting at a North Austin apartment complex Saturday morning marks the 62nd homicide of 2024 for the city and the sixth in the past 10 days.
The sixth homicide happened on Saturday in North Austin, just 24 hours and ten minutes away from the Thurmond Heights homicide.
Just after 4 a.m. on Nov. 16, Austin 911 received reports of gunshots at the Espero Rutland apartment complex in the 1900 block of Rutland Drive near Metric Boulevard.
Officers responded about five minutes later and found a woman with gunshot wounds inside one of the apartments. Despite life-saving measures, the woman died from her injuries at the scene. There is currently no word on a suspect or arrest as of Sunday.