AUSTIN, Texas — The family of Rajan Moonesinghe – who was shot and killed by an Austin police officer last year – held a press conference on Tuesday morning.
In November 2022, police responded to Moonesinghe's home after someone called saying there was a man standing outside holding a rifle and pointing it at his own home.
When police arrived, they saw the man, who was later identified as Moonesinghe, and told him to drop the gun. Then, immediately after giving the command, police said an officer opened fire. When they approached him, officers started performing life-saving measures. Moonesinghe was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
"There is clear and undeniable proof that my son was at his own home, that he was shooting legally because he was afraid of someone in his house," said Ruth Moonesinghe, Rajan Moonesinghe's mother.
"They arrived without lights, without sirens and didn't announce themselves as police. The officer who killed him hid in a defensive position behind a large fence 20 yards away and fired the shots before even finishing the command to 'drop your gun,'" said Mark Moonesinghe, Rajan Moonesinghe's brother.
Now his family wants answers. His family and friends held a press conference at Austin City Hall at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. They spoke about the investigation with the Austin Police Department.
"It's been almost seven months, and as far as we can tell, the main subject of the police investigation remains Rajan himself," Ruth Moonesinghe said. "My son was a successful businessman about to open a new restaurant. He had a warm and wonderful circle of friends and a strong family standing with him."
"We want to know that what is being done to ensure that the officer who shot Rajan will face disciplinary policy infractions … and not be sent out without significant retraining," Ruth Moonesinghe continued.
"I have no doubt that Rajan would be alive today had the responding officers attempted to talk to my brother and de-escalate the situation," Mark Moonesinghe said.
Mark Monesinghe later added that, "Austin police have a history of shooting first before trying to de-escalate the situation" and "they must do better to protect the sanctity of human life."
The Moonesinghe family is suggesting that APD create a "preservation of life" medal to recognize and commend officers who go out of their way to preserve life using de-escalation. The family said that both the Philadelphia Police Department and Los Angeles Police Department already have this type of medal.
APD sent KVUE the following statement in response to Tuesday's press conference:
"While we understand the need for answers, criminal and administrative investigations require a thorough investigation, which may take an extended time to complete. These incidents are jointly investigated, the criminal by the Special Investigations Unit and the Travis County District Attorney’s Office—the administrative by Internal Affairs and the Office of Police Oversight.
"To maintain the integrity of the ongoing investigations, the Department has no further information to provide at this time."
You can watch the Moonesinghe family's full press conference below: