AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) has identified a man shot by a police officer on Christmas Eve.
APD said Juventino Navejar, 29, was the man police shot as he carried a rifle and waved it around in the area of Cameron Road and US 183 late Dec. 24.
The initial call came in shortly before 10:40 p.m., APD Police Chief Joseph Chacon said. Chacon said the call initially received was a "crash urgent call" between two vehicles at the intersection of Cameron Road and US 183 for reports of a man who was bleeding from his face.
Moments later, 911 received several calls about a shirtless man waving a black rifle, Chacon said. According to Chacon, the relation of the calls between the crash itself and the calls about the man wielding the rifle are still under investigation.
Chacon said while officers were en route to the scene, calls continued to come in reporting that Navejar was pointing the weapon at people in the intersection and was firing it into the air.
At 10:56 p.m. on Christmas Eve, an APD sergeant called on the radio that he heard a gunshot in the area, Chacon said. One minute later, an officer located Navejar – still in possession of the rifle – walking southbound on northbound lanes of US 183 frontage road, also known as E. Anderson Lane.
Chacon said the APD officer stopped his vehicle, grabbed his APD-issued shotgun and began giving Navejar demands to drop the rifle. Chacon said Navejar "did not comply with those commands and continued to advance on the officer's position holding the rifle." The officer then fired one round from his shotgun, striking Navejar, according to Chacon.
Chacon said other officers arrived on scene, were able to get the gun away from Navejar and started performing life-saving measures. EMS officials treated the Navejar briefly on scene, then transferred him to the hospital, where he is in stable but serious condition, according to Chacon. Chacon said the injuries were not expected to be life-threatening.
The incident was captured on body-worn and dash camera video, Chacon said. The APD said it would release the video within 10 days of the incident.
This is believed to be an isolated incident and the public is not in any further danger, according to Chacon.
The officer who fired the shotgun has been with the APD for 2.5 years and is assigned to patrol that area. The officer will be placed on administrative leave while the incident is under investigation, per APD policy.
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