Father and infant son shot in north Austin shooting

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - 14 bullet holes smashed through a door and the wall next to it at Garden Villa Apartments on Sunday night. The shooting at the apartments on Wooten Park Drive was done by at least two gunmen, according to Austin Police Cpl Chad Martinka.

“When they are firing that many rounds, you never know where the rounds are going to go, just because they go through a door, they can go through walls, they can go through ceilings,” said Martinka

The bullets, which were fired shortly after 11:00 p.m., struck a man and his infant son who were on the other side of the door.

“It was not a drive by shooting, the subjects had walked up to the complex and fired shots, where the victims were struck,” said Martinka.

The father was treated and released. The child was taken to the hospital with life threatening injuries. Monday afternoon he was listed in critical condition. The mother of the child was not struck and is considered a witness. Despite the late hour, investigators say the gunshots generated several 911 calls.

“Honestly, it’s pretty devastating. I met the family since they moved in,” said neighbor Eduardo Vera. 

Vera said he was in his upstairs apartment unit when the first shots rang out.

“It was loud, but there seemed like there was one or two second delay between shots, so it could not have been automatic.”

The young family, according to Vera, moved into the complex about 7 months ago. 

“I’ve talked to the gentleman several times, he is good people, he's talked to me, always invited me to his little cookouts right here, he is very family oriented, friend oriented, but never anything, never had any problems, any fights, any arguments here.”

Work crews spent most of the day making repairs to the apartment. That included replacing the door that was damaged by the gunfire. It was eventually pulled out and hauled away in a pickup truck.