AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) has released body camera footage and Ring camera video from an Aug. 6 welfare check in southeast Austin that turned into a shooting where a detective was injured.
APD said at 6:55 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 6, a 911 caller requested a welfare check on a neighbor who lived at 10028 Channel Island Drive, near Southpark Meadows, in the Onion Creek area. The caller said he had not seen his neighbor – later identified as 56-year-old Dwayne Brzozowski – for six to eight months and said he knocked on his neighbor's door throughout the month with no answer. The caller indicated something could be wrong, according to APD.
Police said just before 7:58 p.m., Detectives Daniel Jackson and Christopher Van Buren were working patrol when they responded to the "check welfare" call. The detectives spoke with the 911 caller, who "expressed their fear for the resident's welfare," according to APD.
The detectives inspected the residence and noted that "the home seemed in disrepair" and the backyard appeared to have not been maintained in some time. The detectives decided that entry into the home was necessary to check on Brzozowski's welfare.
APD said the detectives contacted their supervisor and got authorization to attempt entry to Brzozowski's home. The detectives knocked on the door but got no response. Detective Van Buren then kicked open the door open. As the door opened, before entering the residence, the detectives identified themselves as Austin police. Brzozowski asked, "what?," and the detectives again identified themselves as police.
APD said within seconds, Brzozowski moved toward the detectives with a gun. Detective Jackson said, "Gun!," and both detectives exited the home and moved away in opposite directions.
Brzozowski then came out of the home with a gun, according to APD. Van Buren communicated over his police radio that they needed backup, then gave verbal commands to Brzozowski to drop his weapon. APD said Jackson had taken cover in the opposite direction in an open garage of the home across the street.
At this time, APD said Brzozowski began to fire his gun. Both detectives were providing updates over the police radio, and other officers arrived at the scene to help. Brzozowski continued to fire in the direction of both detectives, and APD said at one point, he also shot the front door of a neighbor's home and the marked police car parked in front of his home.
At approximately 9:05 p.m., Jackson said over the police radio that he had been shot and needed help. At approximately 9:10 p.m., a K-9 officer located Jackson in the open garage and moved him to safety.
Van Buren maintained cover at a nearby home until other officers arrived. APD said during the encounter, both Jackson and Van Buren fired their weapons.
Brzozowski went back into his home and, at 9:17, a SWAT callout was initiated.
Just before midnight, Brzozowski came out of his home and surrendered to police. APD said as he was taken into custody, police saw that Brzozowski had been shot and officers treated his injury. Brzozowski was taken to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition as of Aug. 17.
Austin-Travis County EMS took Jackson to a local hospital as well. He was treated and released. No other officers or civilians were injured in the incident.
"This was a very chaotic scene and turned out to require quite a bit of resources," Police Chief Joseph Chacon said in an update on Aug. 7. "I do want to extend our gratitude to the Department of Public Safety, who assisted greatly during this incident, providing a large number of troopers and other resources to help us to stabilize this scene to make sure that there was no ongoing danger to the public, to other neighbors and, ultimately, bring it to a peaceful resolution."
Brzozowski has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a public servant, a first-degree felony, and two counts of deadly conduct, a third-degree felony.
Jackson has eight years and 11 months of service with the APD, and Van Buren has 10 years and three months of service with the APD protocol. Because the officers fired their weapons, they have been placed on administrative leave, per APD protocol.
Van Buren also came under criticism in 2015 after it was discovered that he used his taser on a homeless person. He didn't face charges, but was given a 90-day suspension.
APD will conduct two concurrent investigations into this incident: a criminal investigation conducted by the APD Special Investigations Unit in conjunction with the Travis County District Attorney's Office and an administrative investigation conducted by the APD Internal Affairs Unit, with oversight from the Office of Police Oversight.
This incident was captured on Jackson's and Van Buren's body-worn cameras. APD has released edited footage from those cameras, which can be viewed below. Warning: The videos' content may be disturbing to some.
Jackson's body camera footage:
Van Buren's body camera footage:
APD has also released Ring camera footage from nearby homes, as well as the 911 audio file. Those materials can be viewed on the department's YouTube page. Viewer discretion is advised.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call APD’s Special Investigation Unit at 512-974-6840 or Capitol Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers on the organization's website.