APD identifies man killed in officer-involved shooting in SE Austin

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Police Department has officially identified a man killed after an argument over child custody turned into a SWAT call, then an officer-involved shooting in Southeast Austin last month.

The man, identified as 29-year-old Antonio Gonzales, was shot by a SWAT officer who had been with APD for six years. That officer is on administrative leave per APD policy, along with three other officers who fired Tasers and less-lethal munitions at Gonzales.

APD says around 9:19 a.m. Sept. 23, a 911 call came in about a disturbance between a man and a woman about child custody in the 6100 block of Fairway Street. The caller reported the man had a gun in his pocket and displayed it. Initial reports indicated the children involved were being held hostage by the man, later identified as Gonzales. Patrol officers arrived on scene within 20 minutes, says APD.

When officers arrived, Gonzales did not have the children in his custody and instead got out of a vehicle and began walking around on Brassie Street, near the original call location, armed with a handgun. APD says he placed the gun against his head, then in his waistband. 

Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, trying to get Gonzales to lay on the ground and telling him "they did not want him to get hurt and wanted to help," says APD. Gonzales did not comply and instead told officers he was going to kill himself several times.

Within the next ten minutes, both a crisis intervention officer and SWAT were called to the scene. Officers on scene continued to ask Gonzales to drop the gun, but he said he would shoot himself if officers refused to shoot him. The situation then became an "open-air SWAT call," so officers attempted to evacuate homes in the immediate area.

After about two hours of lengthy conversations and deescalation attempts, Gonzales was shot by a SWAT officer when he reached for the gun that was in his waistband and was pronounced dead just before noon after unsuccessful life-saving measures.

This incident was captured on body-worn camera and other video sources and APD said at the time that video would be released within 10 days.