Suspect identified in officer-involved shooting in Southeast Austin: APD

AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin police officer was shot in Southeast Austin on August 6 in a scene described by Austin's police chief as ‘very chaotic.’

On August 11, APD identified the suspect as 56-year-old Dwayne Brzozowski.

Chief Joseph Chacon says it started when someone called 911 asking for a welfare check on a person living at a home on Channel Island Road, which is off Brandt Road just east of I-35. 

The caller said the person had not been seen for several months and wouldn't answer the door when they knocked, so they were concerned about the person's safety.

Police say this is considered a low priority call, so officers waited a couple of hours, until around 9 p.m., to conduct the welfare check.

When they arrived, the officers knocked, but no one answered. Chief Chacon says the officers on scene determined that they were going to force their way in to make sure the person was okay.

When they went in, they announced their presence and a person inside approached them with a gun. Chief Chacon says the officers quickly retreated outside to deescalate the situation, told the man they were police and asked him to drop the gun.

RELATED: Video shows shootout between APD officer, suspect in Southeast Austin

As they were radioing in to let officers know what was happening, Chief Chacon says the man came out and fired multiple shots. Both officers on scene returned fire.

At 9:05 p.m., an officer radioed in to say he had been shot.

The suspect went back inside and the SWAT team was called out.

After a standoff, the suspect came out of the home and was arrested just before midnight.

Chief Chacon said when the suspect surrendered, it became clear he had a wound, and officers rendered aid to him.

Both the officer and the suspect have been taken to hospitals and neither of their injuries are expected to be life-threatening.

The following charges have been filed against Brzozowski: Two counts of Aggravated Assault on a Public Servant, a first-degree felony, and two counts of Deadly Conduct, a third-degree felony.

On August 11, APD released a timeline of the officer-involved shooting:

• At 6:55 p.m., Austin 9-1-1 Communications received a call requesting a welfare check on a resident who resides at 10028 Channel Island Drive. The caller said he had not seen his neighbor for 6 to 8 months and stated he knocked on the residence door throughout the month with no answer. The caller provided more details that indicated something could be wrong.
• At approximately 7:58 p.m., two APD Detectives wearing Austin Police uniforms were working in a patrol capacity responded to the "Check Welfare" call for service at the address. The Detectives made contact with the concerned community member, who expressed their fear for the resident’s welfare and confirmed the information provided to 9-1-1. The Detectives inspected the front door, inspected the residence, and noted that the home seemed in disrepair. The backyard had abnormal vegetative growth and appeared it had not been maintained in some time. Based on the information provided by the community member and the Detectives observations, the Detectives decided that entry into the home was necessary to ensure the welfare of the resident.
• Detectives contacted their supervisor with their findings and authorization to attempt entry was given. The Detectives approached the front door and knocked on it to attempt to contact the resident and received no response. The Detectives kicked open the door in order gain access to check the welfare of the resident. As the door opened, and before entering the residence, the Detectives identified themselves as Austin Police. The resident said, "What?" and the Detectives again identified themselves as Austin Police. Within seconds, the resident, later identified as Dwayne Brzozowski, moved toward the Detectives with a firearm. One Detective said, "Gun!" and both Detectives quickly retreated and moved away from the residence in opposite directions. Mr. Brzozowski then came out of the residence with a firearm. One of the Detectives communicated over the police radio to send backup as they were dealing with an armed individual. The same Detective gave verbal commands to Mr. Brzozowski to drop the weapon. The other Detective had taken cover in the opposite direction in an open garage of the residence across the street.
• As the Detectives took cover, Mr. Brzozowski began to fire shots from his firearm. Both Detectives were providing updates over the police radio, and other officers in the city rushed to the scene to assist. Mr. Brzozowski continued to fire shots in the direction of both Detectives. At one point, Mr. Brzozowski also shot the front door of a neighbor's residence and shot the marked police vehicle that was parked in front of his home.
• At approximately 9:05 p.m., one of the Detectives stated over the police radio that he was shot and needed assistance. At approximately 9:10 p.m., a K-9 Officer was able to locate the injured Detective in the open garage of a nearby residence and move him to safety.
• The second Detective maintained cover at a nearby residence until other officers arrived. During the encounter, both original Detectives discharged their Department-approved firearms.
• The suspect went back into his residence. At 9:17 p.m., a SWAT call-out was initiated to assist at the scene.
• At approximately 11:57 p.m., Mr. Brzozowski exited his residence and surrendered to police without further incident. As he was taken into custody, it was apparent Mr. Brzozowski had a gunshot wound, and officers rendered medical aid to him. He was transported to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

Austin-Travis County EMS transported the injured Detective to a local hospital, where the Detective was treated and released. The other Detective and civilians did not sustain physical injuries. 

This incident was captured on the two Detectives' body-worn cameras. Per APD policy, the video will be released within 10 business days.

The APD Detective that was injured and discharged his Department approved firearm has eight years and eleven months of service with the Department. The second Detective that discharged his Department approved firearm has 10 years and three months of service with the Austin Police Department. 

Per APD protocol, both Detectives have been placed on administrative leave.

APD will conduct two concurrent investigations into this incident: a criminal investigation conducted by the APD Special Investigations Unit in conjunction with the Travis County District Attorney's Office and an administrative investigation conducted by the APD Internal Affairs Unit, with oversight from the Office of Police Oversight.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call APD's Special Investigation Unit at (512) 974-6840 or Capitol Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477. For the Capitol Area Crime Stoppers submission, you may submit a tip online at austincrimestoppers.org. You may remain anonymous.