[kellyhound]

Austin police identified a man fatally shot by officers near a downtown YMCA on Saturday as Emmanuel Diaz, 29, and released body camera video and 911 calls from the investigation.

The two officers who fired their weapons were identified as Adam Collins and William Johns, both of whom have about 14 years and seven months of service with the department, according to police. Both officers have been placed on administrative leave.

"These officers acted very bravely to go after a subject who, again, were not sure what the motive was," Police Chief, Lisa Davis, said.

According to police, the incident began at 8:13 a.m. Saturday when officers responded to multiple 911 calls reporting that a white man on an electric scooter was chasing and threatening runners with a handgun near West 5th Street and North Lamar Boulevard.

Witnesses told police the confrontation started after a runner asked the man to slow down while he was riding on the sidewalk. A verbal argument followed in which the man used slurs directed at the running group, according to police. Then, the situation escalated.

"The suspect then proceeded to strike the woman, pulled out a handgun, pointed it at multiple people, and threatened to shoot them before fleeing," Davis said.

Officers arrived within two minutes, at 8:15 a.m., and spent the morning gathering witness statements and reviewing surveillance video to develop a description of the suspect, police said.

At 10:23 a.m., officers checking the area of 1100 West Cesar Chavez St. found a scooter they believed belonged to the man, according to police. They continued searching the area, and at 11:07 a.m., officers found a man matching the description near the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, near B.R. Reynolds Drive and West Cesar Chavez Street, police said.

Body camera video released Monday shows officers approaching the man, later identified as Diaz, as an exercise class took place outside the YMCA nearby. An officer can be heard yelling, "Emmanuel, stop!" Police said Diaz got on the scooter and began to drive away before officers ordered him to stop.

Diaz abandoned the scooter and fled on foot, with officers pursuing him a short distance while repeatedly ordering him to stop, according to police.

Officers saw that Diaz was armed with a handgun and ordered him to drop it, but he refused and continued fleeing, police said. As officers closed in, Diaz fell to the ground and pointed the firearm at them. Collins and Johns then fired their weapons at 11:08 a.m., striking Diaz.

Officers took Diaz into custody and began life-saving measures until Austin-Travis County EMS arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured, and there were no reported injuries to the public, police said.

Police said they recovered the handgun along with two other loaded handguns and additional ammunition, and that the weapons were not reported stolen.

Police Chief Lisa Davis said Diaz had one known prior arrest, in 2021, on a charge of assault on a public servant in a case handled by the Houston Police Department.

"At this point, we do not know what motivated Mr. Diaz's actions that morning," Davis said. "Determining this motive is an important part of any criminal investigation, but it often takes time."

Davis credited the runners and witnesses who called 911 for helping officers locate the man, and defended the officers' decision to use force.

"No officer ever wants to use lethal force," she said. "Officers are trained to resolve situations safely whenever possible, with preservation of life as the primary goal. However, they are also trained to respond to rapidly evolving and dangerous situations, where they may have only seconds to make critical decisions."

The Austin Police Special Investigations Unit is conducting a criminal investigation in conjunction with the Travis County District Attorney's Office, while APD's Internal Affairs Unit is conducting a separate administrative investigation with oversight from Austin Police Oversight, according to the department.

[AllegedlyHere]

“Emmanuel stay away from the YMCA. Stay away from the YMCA. You gonna get yourself shot, not once, but a lot. So stay, stay away from the YMCA, YMCA…”

[DarkSighted]

Everybody stop running! Here, I'll demonstrate how.

[Mr.NoCredit]

He had three guns on him!?!