AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) is asking for the public's help to identify more leads in the May shooting death of 18-year-old Davante Reece.
The lead investigator for the case, Det. James Eichenholz, said in a press conference Wednesday that the incident occurred on Tuesday, May 9. Just before 11:30 p.m., officers responded to several 911 calls reporting gunshots in the area of Manor Road and Rogge Lane. But when officers arrived and checked the area, they couldn't find any victims.
A short time later, another 911 call came in reporting a person who had been shot in the area of the 6200 block of Breeze Way, just a few blocks from Manor Road and Rogge Lane. When officers responded to this location, they found Reece with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Eichenholz said the initial investigation revealed that Reece was shot in the parking lot of an apartment complex located near 5707 Manor Road. Over the course of the investigation, APD learned that a large group of 10 to 15 people were in the parking lot at the time Reece was shot. Eichenholz said a large portion of those people have been identified.
He said the investigation is ongoing. No arrests have been made, but people of interest have been identified.
Davante Reece's mother, Dorinda Reece, joined Eichenholz and the Reece family's minister at the press conference on Wednesday. She made a plea for the public to help her family find closure.
"He was only 18 years old. He hadn't even seen life yet," Dorinda Reece said. "I don't understand how the person that shot him could sleep. I wouldn't even want his mother to feel the pain that I feel this morning. Because the pain hasn't eased up at all. This is why I'm asking y'all [to] please help."
APD is asking anyone with any information about this incident, including anyone who may have been present in the parking lot, to come forward by contacting APD at 512-974-TIPS or CrimeStoppers, either online or by calling 512-472-8477.
Watch the full press conference below: