Shooting outside game room in North Austin leaves 2 men dead

The Austin Police Department says it is investigating its first homicides of 2024, just seven days into the New Year.

On the first Sunday morning of the New Year, police tape blocked off the Cowboys game room.

"This is being investigated as Austin's first and second homicide of the year," said Alexandra Parker, a public information officer with the Austin Police Department.

APD says that around 4:46 a.m. Jan. 7, Austin 911 received multiple calls about a disturbance at Cowboys, a digital game room at 9411 Parkfield Drive in North Austin. 911 also received information that multiple people had been shot.

"We just got information that there were multiple people arguing," said Parker.

When officers arrived minutes later, they found two men outside with obvious signs of trauma. Officers immediately began CPR until EMS arrived, but the two men were pronounced dead at the scene.

"Officers immediately began life-saving measures until EMS personnel arrived on scene; however, unfortunately, both males were pronounced deceased on the scene," said Parker.

During the investigation, APD learned that a third person, a woman, had shown up to a local area hospital with injuries related to the incident. APD says she is believed to be in stable condition, but the nature of her injuries are currently unknown.

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APD says it is currently unclear if the argument started inside the game room.

The game room sits in a larger shopping center. FOX 7 talked to a nearby business owner, who asked to remain anonymous.

"There is a church where children come, where ladies come, where entire families come," the business owner said in Spanish. "This one [the Cowboy’s game room] then I feel that this one is poorly located because I don't know how you can call that a type of business, right?"

She added there's been trouble outside the game room before, and she is worried it's making the neighborhood more dangerous. 

"But in the area, I feel that it is not good here, there is a lot of danger," she said in Spanish.

Police could not confirm if the people involved knew each other or what that argument might have been about.

Detectives are actively investigating and APD says they believe this to be an isolated incident with no ongoing threat to the public.

The two deaths are being investigated as Austin's first and second homicides of 2024, according to APD's PIO on Sunday morning.

Anyone with information on this shooting is asked to call APD's homicide tip line at 512-477-3588.

North AustinCrime and Public Safety