Editor’s note: This video is from previous coverage of the shooting.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin ISD police have made policy changes since the September 10 shooting that ended with police arresting a gunman a block away from Barton Hills Elementary School around drop-off time.
That shooting began, police said, with Brandon Thompson shooting a woman in the head and then shooting a police officer near Zilker Park as APD approached them about a stolen vehicle found in a parking lot off of Azie Morton Road. Thompson then ran off, and reportedly broke into a home near Barton Hills Elementary, and was shot and injured by the homeowner.
The school went into a “secure,” which means business-as-usual, but nobody leaves the campus. The district also said staff and AISD police helped escort students inside.
Community members criticized the district’s plan to remain open and not implement a delay, and the city of Austin’s law department sent an email to district officials saying it was the official recommendation of the city and police department to delay or cancel classes. The district said it made its decision not to cancel when APD prematurely sent out an “all clear” alert.
“I think we can all agree that a two-hour delay would have given us a lot more ability to assess the situation,” said AISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed on Tuesday.
Sneed addressed the communication shortcomings in a press conference the week of the shooting, and promised the department would work with school and law enforcement partners to have a better system in place.
What’s new?
Chief Sneed said multi-organization safety meetings were already scheduled to comply with the Uvalde Strong Act aimed at improving communication during school-related emergencies.
He said they also used that time to address the Zilker-area shooting specifically, and are making the following changes:
- Creating a uniform language between APD and AISD because currently, terms like “shelter-in-place” mean different things to each department
- Only allowing AISD police staff with significant patrol experience to serve as supervisors during emergencies
- Having chiefs/leaders from involved departments communicate via a group chat during emergencies
- Implementing more in-person training involving all first responder agencies
“As a parent, I don’t think we’re ever going to forget how closely in danger our kids were that day, but I think we’ve pivoted from fear into action,” said Becky Jeanes, the PTA president for Barton Hills Elementary. “Trying to be respectful of the space and the time that this needs to happen but also giving the right amount of pressure so there is accountability and reasonable change happening.”
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