AUSTIN, Texas — Police are still searching for answers more than a month after a man was killed in North Austin.
In an update Wednesday, the Austin Police Department (APD) asked for the public's help in identifying who killed 21-year-old Francisco Muntufa Miranda on Jan. 8 at the Avalon Palms Apartments.
Investigators said Miranda was discovered on the ground of the apartment complex's courtyard with a crowd of people surrounding him. They also said after speaking to witnesses, they determined that more than one person could be involved in Miranda's death.
"I do believe this is a random act of violence," APD Det. Nicholas Gebhart said. "Francisco was a good kid. After digging into his life, I can't find anything nefarious that would have brought this on this individual."
Miranda lived at the apartment complex for several years with his family and also enjoyed playing soccer there. According to Gebhart, the area where Miranda was killed has become a recent hotbed for robberies and shootings. Gebhart hopes by getting the community involved that they can find Miranda's killers and make the area safer.
"We've been able to solve a lot of crimes just by having one-on-one conversations with community members," Gebhart said. "The sooner we can talk with people, the quicker we can find who did this ... We don't want to see this happen to any other families again."
APD has asked anyone with information about this shooting to call the department's tip line at 512-974-TIPS. Information can also be submitted anonymously through Capital Area Crime Stoppers online or by calling 512-472-8477.
A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest.
According to APD, this shooting is being investigated as Austin's fourth homicide of 2024.