Austin PD seeks shooting suspects; 7 schools closed

This is kind of strange. AK's body armor. hummm

By JANET ELLIOTT Austin Bureau
Nov. 6, 2008, 11:27AMShare Print Email Del.icio.usDiggTechnoratiYahoo! BuzzAUSTIN — A man armed with an assault rifle and wearing body armor was shot and killed by a rookie police officer in an early-morning shootout on this city's east side.

The shooting came after an attack that left two other men wounded and spurred Austin school district officials to call off classes at seven campuses in that area for the day.

Police Chief Art Acevedo praised the young officer as a hero. The dead suspect is believed to have been involved in the earlier shooting that left two people wounded at a nearby residence.

The fatal shooting occurred after a chase in which a pickup truck that was seen leaving the residence crashed into a closed hamburger stand while fleeing police.

Five men ran away from the truck, one of them firing an AK-47 at police, Acevedo said.

The rookie officer, whose name has not been disclosed, returned fire, killing the man, the chief said.

"What we really are pleased with is the fact that our officers responded to this very critical scene,"Acevedo said. "As a result of the heroic efforts by one of our young cops — he's only been around since January, he's a brand-new police officer — the only loss of life was that of the suspect that was out there trying to cause mayhem in our community."

Another suspect was taken into custody, and police are questioning a second "person of interest," Acevedo said.

Nearby Reagan High School and six other schools are closed until tomorrow, the chief said, as a precaution while police pursue two and possibly three other suspects.

No students or staff members had arrived at the schools before the closures were announced.

The initial call of shots being fired at the residence came in at 3:58 a.m. Arriving officers heard gunshots, Acevedo said, and chased the fleeing pickup.

The two men who were shot at the residence are in stable condition at a hospital, the chief said.

Officers blocked off a half-mile radius and a SWAT team is looking for the additional men, who are believed to be armed and dangerous.

Police have not released the names of any of the people involved in the incidents.

A cashier at a Randalls store where police and news media had taken over much of the parking lot said she lives in the neighborhood and had not heard of previous problems.

She was shocked to hear that an officer had been involved in the deadly exchange of gunfire.

"I feel sorry for the officer," said the woman, who wouldn't give her name because of company policy.

janet.elliott@chron.com

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