AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) has identified the suspect and victim in a Nov. 1 homicide in northeast Austin.
In a media release sent on Nov. 4, police said 30-year old Tyler Cochran was shot and killed just before 1:45 a.m. outside Michelobos Sports Bar at 900 E. Braker Lane.
Officers arrived on scene to find Cochran and 20-year-old Clayton Taitague suffering from injuries after an apparent altercation. Taitague shot Cochran after an argument, according to police. Then a nightclub security employee shot Taitague after witnessing the incident.
Cochran died around 2:05 a.m., while Taitague was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. Taitague remains in the hospital in critical but stable condition. He is currently under arrest and will be charged with first-degree murder once he is released from the hospital.
Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to call APD at 512-974-TIPS or the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program at 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for information that leads to an arrest.
APD investigating liquor licenses in northeast Austin
Austin police leaders say they're developing a plan to investigate liquor licenses in the area where the shooting happened.
APD Chief Lisa Davis said last year, there were 34 calls for service in the area. So far this year, police have been called out 61 times for reports of shootings, aggravated assaults, celebratory gunfire, aggravated robberies, criminal behavior and now, this Nov. 1 homicide.
"The number for calls for service has increased. It's not just the number of calls for service but the intensity of those calls," APD Cmdr. Lee Davis said. "Those calls not only have [an] impact on the community – they're also a strain on our patrol resources."
Police plan to meet with the community and work with other city departments to address safety in this part of northeast Austin.