Two people, including an Austin police officer, were hospitalized early Friday morning following a volley of gunfire that was exchanged on the 290 westbound frontage road near Berkman Drive.
“At approximately 12:03 a.m. this morning, we received a 911 call that came in and ultimately officers were dispatched on what we refer to as a ‘gun hotshot call,’ which is our highest priority-level call,” said APD Interim Chief Joseph Chacon. “The call came in with the caller stating that they were in a vehicle and they were being shot at.”
Within minutes, officers were on the scene and had identified the driver who called 911. It was determined that driver was not hurt, and police were able to get a description of the other vehicle, as well as the direction it was traveling.
“At 12:07 a.m., the officers turned on the westbound frontage road [of 290] and got behind the suspect vehicle with their lights on. As officers stopped the vehicle and began to exit the vehicle, they immediately took gunfire from the suspect. Both officers returned fire at the suspect, and the suspect was shot. One of our officers was also shot and suffered a non-life threatening wound,” Chacon said.
That officer was taken in for surgery earlier in the morning.
Chacon said officers immediately called for EMS support to treat the wounded driver, who was also taken to the hospital for surgery with potentially life-threatening injuries. At last report, that man was said to be in stable condition.
Among the issues being investigated is whether or not there was any connection between the two drivers. The incident was captured on body-worn cameras and on the officer’s dashboard cameras.
“I’ll just tell you that, after having watched all of that video, it’s chilling,” Chacon said.
The driver has not been identified, but is described as an Histpanic male in his 20s or 30s. The officers have not been identified either, but both will be placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.
