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UPDATE:
A violent weekend has Austin Police Chief Brian Manley amplifying the police presence in the downtown district. Manley said a shooting along East 7th is the second in two weeks near the ARCH homeless shelter.
“The suspect in this incident was arguing with another male, basically told the other male several times to leave the area and that this was quote ‘his area.’”
Manley explained neither of the suspects or victims in either shooting have any association with the ARCH and were not homeless. However this shooting is an example of an increase in violent crime in downtown. Manley said, in response to the shootings since SXSW, starting this coming weekend APD will fully staff patrols in the downtown district, ramp up patrol support teams and increase lighting in and around the area.
Chief Manley discusses recent shootings and crime in Austin. https://t.co/hAK2sNks3s
— Austin Police Dept (@Austin_Police) July 29, 2019
ORIGINAL:
For the second time in as many weeks, the Austin Police Department responded to a shooting in downtown on 7th Street near the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless. The shooting is the latest in a growing number of violent incidents around the ARCH, despite recent APD data showing a decline in violent crimes around most of the city.
According to APD, a man in his 20s was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The shooter has not been caught as of Monday morning. That shooting follows another incident one week earlier in the same area. That alleged shooter, identified as Reginald Thomas, was arrested in connection to a shooting at 7th and Red River in which a woman had to be taken to the hospital for treatment.
Following this most recent shooting, APD Corporal Taylor said he noticed a trend throughout downtown.
“It has gotten somewhat violent down here,” he said. “We are taking actions, our chain of command is taking actions to address those issues.”
Separately on Saturday night, police responded to the 77 Degrees bar in the Domain following a stabbing. One man was arrested in connection to that. The victim was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Despite the rash of violence in downtown this year, recent data from APD shows the rate of overall violent crime across the city has dropped 10{fbcf2a5c42fe71624047a18c73673849799bd5d53cdb5d8ca16f4833367ca63d} from one year ago. It is the first time that rate has dropped in the past two years, APD says. Austin’s murder rate, however, spiked by 28{fbcf2a5c42fe71624047a18c73673849799bd5d53cdb5d8ca16f4833367ca63d}, and property crimes like burglary and auto theft have also risen.
