Austin teens killed in 2 separate shootings; gun violence advocate speaks out

AUSTIN, Texas - Two separate shootings in less than 24 hours killed two teenagers over the weekend in Austin.

16-year-old killed in South Austin

The backstory:

Austin police say around 10 p.m. on Sunday, March 30, on Bradsher Drive, 16- year-old Matthew Pichardo was found on the ground with a gunshot wound.

"The fact that there is trauma to the body leads them to believe that this needs to be investigated as a homicide," says Austin police officer Matthew Nonweiler.

RELATED: Homicide in South Austin: Teenager shot, killed; teenage suspect turns himself in

The suspect, who is also a teenager, left the scene but later turned himself in. He is facing a first-degree murder charge.

"This is currently being investigated as Austin’s 10th homicide of the year," says Austin police officer Matthew Nonweiler.

15-year-old killed in Northeast Austin

The backstory:

Just hours later, around 3 a.m. on Monday, March 31, near Harrisglenn Drive and Howard Lane, the 11th homicide of the year happened.

Derick Fajardo Reyes, 15, was found with a gunshot wound in a black SUV that crashed into a utility pole.

RELATED: Homicide in Northeast Austin: Police investigate shooting

He was taken to a hospital where he died.

APD says they are looking for a female who was with Derick before the shooting. 

If you have any information on the deadly shooting of 15-year-old Derick Fajardo Reyes, call Austin police.

Dig deeper:

"We need to put an end to it. It's incredibly upsetting when we hear about the senseless loss of young lives due to gun violence," says Executive Director of Texas Gun Sense, Nicole Golden.

"Nearly 300 children and teens died by firearms in Texas in 2023, which is where our most recent data comes from making guns the number one cause of death for young people in Texas and nationwide," says Golden.

Nicole Golden, the executive director of Texas Gun Sense, says a change in gun laws at the state level means a change in gun-related crimes.

"Legislation is definitely one critically important piece of the puzzle, because when we look at other states, and we look at what they're doing in the legislation they've passed and implemented, we can see reductions in gun deaths. We know safe gun storage laws work. We know it works to require a background check on every gun sale. We know... To have age restrictions because, you know, many, many shootings are perpetrated by young people, especially when you look at some of the mass shootings that our nation has experienced," says Golden.