Editor’s Note: The video above is from KXAN’s newscast on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Brandon Thompson, the man accused of shooting a woman and then shooting an officer near Zilker Park on Sept. 10, is now facing a murder charge, according to the Austin Police Department.
In addition to the murder charge, Thompson faces two other charges — attempted capital murder of a peace officer and burglary of a residence.
The shooting happened on Sept. 10, with the events initially unfolding in the 700 block of Azie Morton Road. It started when Austin Police Department Officer Adam Reinhart was talking to Thompson and a woman, Kay Smith, about a stolen vehicle found by officers.
Bodycam video released by APD last week showed Thompson allegedly shooting Smith in the head and then Reinhart. Smith was pronounced brain-dead that afternoon. On Tuesday, police confirmed that she was taken off life support on Sunday.
Reinhart, who has been with the department for over six years, was shot in the abdomen but is expected to recover, according to police.
The situation then turned into a manhunt for Thompson, after he left the area following the shooting.
A shelter-in-place order was implemented for those living in the area of where the shooting happened, and was lifted “prior to confirmation,” APD said in a statement.
Because the emergency communications system was undergoing maintenance, “APD communications personnel were not in the same location, which led to the miscommunication.”
Thompson was at large from roughly 4:10 a.m. to 8 a.m., and was spotted near Barton Hills Elementary School around drop-off time. He was then shot by a homeowner at a home near the elementary school, according to police.
Council Member Ryan Alter held a meeting with parents Tuesday morning to listen to concerns.
“A lot of feelings, a lot of feelings, a lot of raw emotion that’s very justified, and a lot of questions out of that,” Alter said. “The biggest concern I have is… we had a single individual who was able to lift the shelter-in-place order. I think we need to err on the side of caution, and if that means while there is some kind of safety measure in place, that two or three people have to give the go-ahead before that is lifted, I think we should do that.”
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