Austin police officer killed in shooting honored at candelight vigil

A candlelight vigil was held at City Hall in downtown Austin to honor Officer Jorge Pastore, who was killed in an officer-involved shooting on November 11.

Dozens of first responders, community members and local leaders gathered to express their grief, and to show support for other members of law enforcement.

A memorial for Officer Pastore was set up along 2nd Street, where people could leave uplifting notes for the Austin Police Department as they cope with this tragic loss.

Organizers of the vigil say they hope Austinites are reminded of the sacrifices made every day by first responders who risk their lives to protect the community.

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Austin police officer killed, 3 others dead after South Austin shooting

The deadly officer-involved shooting happened at a residence in the 9300 block of Bernoulli Drive.

"We need to come together as a community and show our officers support, to show that we stand together regardless of what political views are out there," Sandy Ramirez McNaul, an organizer, said. "We really just want safe streets and a safe community for everyone. Everybody deserves that."

"(Officers) deserve our respect," McNaul said. "We should honor the fact that they get out every day and do this work that sometimes goes without acknowledgment. Enough is enough."

A memorial outside of Austin police headquarters is set up as other first responders and Austin community members share their condolences with the family and friends of the fallen officer.

The 100 Club of Central Texas is taking donations for Officer Pastore's family. Donations can be made here.

What happened on November 11?

The shooting happened in the 9300 block of Bernoulli Drive.

At a news conference, officials went over the timeline of events saying that the incident began at around 2:49 a.m. when 9-1-1 received a call from someone requesting help and saying that someone was stabbing her.

The first officer arrived at the scene at around 2:57 a.m. and officers were informed that there were two others inside the home injured.

Officials say that prior to the arrival of officers, a third victim had escaped from the home and was located by EMS in the neighborhood. The victim told EMS that the suspect still had a knife. She was taken to the hospital at 3:03 a.m.

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Meantime, at 3:00 a.m., officers forced entry into the Bernoulli Drive home in an attempt to rescue the two people inside. They were fired upon by the suspect and officials say the officers backed up and did not return fire at that time.

A few minutes later, due to the suspect being armed and barricaded, SWAT was called.

SWAT arrived at around 4:11 a.m. and forced entry a second time to rescue the people inside. It was at that time that the suspect fired at SWAT officers and officers returned fire.

Officials say that at around 4:15 a.m., radio communication revealed that two officers had been shot.

DowntownCrime and Public Safety