AUSTIN, Texas — The two officers originally put on administrative leave for shooting and killing a man accused of holding a woman and child hostage in February were cleared by a Travis County grand jury, the Travis County District Attorney's Office announced on Friday.
The grand jury did not return an indictment on APD Officers Ryan Nichols or Jeffrey Hutchison in regard to the shooting death of Jordan Walton.
Background:
KVUE reported a timeline of the events in February:
The incident began around 5:20 p.m. at the 2900 block of Rogge Lane after reports of a crash of a car into a home, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said.
Minutes later, 911 received a call from a woman at another home in the 2900 block of Rogge Lane reporting someone had broken in.
Officers arriving on the scene of the burglary heard a disturbance from inside and forced entry around 5:30 p.m., Manley said. They encountered the suspect, who fired at officers, who then returned fire, according to police. One officer had a minor injury after the exchange but was not shot, while it is unknown if the suspect was hit by the officer's gunfire.
The man then barricaded himself inside the house, holding the woman and boy hostage, Manley said. The Austin SWAT team was called in and attempted to make contact with the suspect.
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At one point during the standoff, officers reported seeing the 10-year-old open a door in an attempt to lure officers inside.
At 6:17 p.m., the suspect came to the door, holding the child in a "hostage-like" position. A SWAT officer then shot the suspect, who was pronounced dead on the scene. The two hostages were safely rescued and brought to medical attention, according to Manley.
Police said the suspect had no connection with the victims or the home he broke into.
As part of standard protocol, the two officers who fired their weapons were put on administrative leave as an investigation is conducted by the APD Internal Affairs division and the Office of Police Oversight. Hutchison had been with the department for eight years, while SWAT officer Nichols had been with the department for 13 years. The officers have since returned to full duty.
Travis County grand jury's review:
According to the DA's Office, Walton exited the home using the child as a shield and holding a hand behind the child's back as though he had a gun pointed at him. The APD S.W.A.T. Officer on duty saw he had a clear path to shooting Walton without endangering the child. The APD S.W.A.T. Officer fired and killed Walton in front of the home.
In addition, according to the DA's Office, before Walton entered the home he crashed his car into a home nearby and ran into the hostages' home armed with a fully automatic 9mm handgun.
“The District Attorney’s office takes the work of presenting all facts and evidence to a grand jury very seriously,” said District Attorney Garza. “In this case, an independent group of members of the Travis County community, heard the evidence and law and decided that the conduct of Officers Nichols and Hutchison was lawful.”
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