AUSTIN, Texas — Police have arrested a man in connection with a fatal shooting in East Austin on Sept. 11.
The Austin Police Department (APD) said at around 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 11, officers responded to a call from the Travis County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) about a body found with gunshot wounds at John Treviño Jr. Metropolitan Park, off of FM 969.
The TCSO said it received a call at 7:18 p.m. reporting a man's body found at the park, and the location of the body was found to be in APD's jurisdiction.
APD initially said when officers arrived at the scene, the person who called led them to a body located away from the park, down a dirt road behind a mobile home neighborhood. Officers said the person, later identified as 30-year-old Salvador Sanchez, was clearly dead.
At first, APD investigators said they were conducting a "death investigation," which is different from a homicide investigation. However, on Sept. 14, APD said the death was instead being investigated as a homicide.
Investigators believed Sanchez shot and killed by a suspect who fled the area.
On Sept. 27, APD provided an update on the case, saying that detectives had identified 45-year-old Jared Nelson as the suspect in Sanchez's murder.
On Sept. 15, Nelson was arrested and booked into the Travis County Jail. He is charged with first-degree murder.
Anyone with any additional information about this incident is asked to call APD at 512-974-TIPS, or submit a tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program online or by calling 512-472-8477.
According to APD, this case is being investigated as Austin's 44th homicide of 2023.