Deputy shoots, kills man at Community First! Village
TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas - A man is dead after an officer-involved shooting at the Community First! Village in East Travis County.
On Wednesday, just after 9:30 p.m., Travis County Sheriff's Deputies were responding to a welfare check call when they say they saw a man who was "acting very erratically."
As they tried to deescalate the situation, deputies say they saw a gun.
One deputy fired his weapon at the man who was later pronounced dead at the scene.
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Texas Rangers are leading the investigation.
The Community First! Village is a 51-acre master-planned community that is home to more than 350 formerly homeless people.
"This is a really terrible tragedy that is being thoroughly investigated by both the Texas Rangers and TCSO," said Hernandez.
It’s the second time in a little more than a week that law enforcement responded to a deadly shooting at Community First! Village.
In late March, deputies arrested a teen for killing his father.
"Our neighborhood, like every neighborhood in Austin, Texas, has its issues," said Alan Graham, the founder and CEO of Mobile Loaves Fishes, which is the developer for the Community First! Village. "It has its conflict. It has its beauty, and we just want people to understand that within this community there’s an extraordinary amount of beauty and periodically a side salad of tension. We're grieving, and we're managing this the way that any family would in a time of crises."
Despite the two recent shootings, he said the area is still safe.
"I live here and wouldn't hesitate getting up at 3 o'clock in the morning and walking around," said Graham.
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As for any new policy changes that might come from these shootings, that's something Graham said they're taking day by day.
Graham mentioned the village just launched an ID badge for access to certain areas of the community, but mostly they rely on a neighborhood watch program.
"That's you and I," said Graham. "We're the ones that are responsible for that and then we connect very deeply with our Travis County Sheriff's Office."
Graham said they'll continue to rely on each other for safety and for moving forward.
"We just believe very powerfully that a community that lives together will heal together," said Graham.
The deputy who fired their weapon is on administrative assignment, pending the investigation.
Community First! Village also expressed its deep gratitude to the sheriff's office as they continue to work with them in the future.