Shooting in downtown Austin leaves 2 people injured

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Police Department is investigating a shooting that put two people in the hospital early Monday morning.

"Here lately you just never know what’s going to happen in that area," said Ken Casaday, president of the Austin Police Association.

That area is downtown, 7th Street portion of the entertainment district. "There were two people fighting, and one of the individuals fired a weapon during the disturbance and actually hit two innocent bystanders," said Casaday.

Officers heard gunshots in the area at around 3:50 am in front of Swing Hookah Lounge. They found two people shot, but they are expected to survive.

Officer Casaday worked the night before. "We had a couple of encounters down there of disturbances with guns. We actually arrested an individual with a stolen gun," he said.

Casaday said guns are a consistent issue downtown, and he is hoping the district attorney can penalize criminals who carry guns.

"He has a lot of new innovative programs that we support. The low level offenses and trying to get those people rehabilitated, I totally understand that, but when you have people down there using knives and firearms to inflict pain on the community, those are the types of people who have to go to jail, even prison," said Casaday.

Garza outlined his approach to gun violence back in November, highlighting being proactive. "We have to do more than punish people after they have caused harm. We have to do all we can to prevent violence before it happens," said Garza in November.

FOX 7 Austin reached out to his office Monday. A spokesperson said in addition, the office will hold criminals accountable and prosecute to the fullest extent.

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