AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) is investigating after an incident that resulted in an officer fatally shooting a man.
Police Chief Joseph Chacon said at 4:54 a.m. on Thursday, July 20, a 911 call came in indicating a woman was frantically knocking on the door of an apartment at the Tides at South Lamar complex, located at 3622 Menchaca Road. The caller said the woman was asking for help.
One minute later, APD officers headed to the residence, where they arrived four to five minutes later and spoke with the woman who was knocking on the door. The woman told police there was a man chasing her throughout the complex and that she feared for her life.
The officers broadcasted that a man was seen running west through the complex. Chacon said that body camera video from the responding officers showed the man had a weapon that looked like a knife.
According to Chacon, the officers ordered the man, later identified as 60-year-old James Woodrome, to drop the weapon before drawing their weapons and trying to de-escalate the situation.
Chacon said Woodrome yelled at the officers to shoot and kill him. One officer attempted to Taser Woodrome, but it was ineffective. The officers continued to command Woodrome to drop his weapon. A second officer then attempted to Taser him again, but that also did not affect Woodrome.
It was at this time that a third officer fired his weapon and Woodrome fell to the ground. Police said a knife was located on the ground next to him.
Once the knife was removed from the scene, officers performed life-saving measures on Woodroome and requested medical assistance. However, Woodrome was pronounced dead at the scene.
Chacon said all three officers involved are now on paid administrative leave, per APD's policy. The officer that fired, Adam Reinhart, has three years and five months of service with APD. One of the officers who used a Taser, John Ricker, has 13 years and three months of service. The other officer who used a Taser, Arlene Lozano, is currently in probationary status and has eight months of service with APD.
"Our officers are placed in extremely difficult situations every single day. I can tell you that these type of things happen, unfortunately, on a regular basis. And most of the time, we are able to deescalate them, get people into custody safely and with either no injury or minimal injury," Chacon said. "This is just a tragic circumstance. And we've got to take care of officers, as well as take care of the scene and the family of all involved."
Chacon said this is believed to be an isolated incident, and there is no information to indicate any danger to the public. The woman involved in the incident is safe and believed to be uninjured. It is not known if she lives at the complex. It is unclear how Woodrome and the woman knew each other.
Per its policy, APD will conduct two concurrent investigations into this incident: a criminal investigation conducted by the APD Special Investigations Unit in conjunction with the Travis County District Attorney's Office and an administrative investigation conducted by the APD Internal Affairs Unit, with oversight from the Office of Police Oversight.
On Aug. 2, APD released body camera video and 911 call audio from this incident – within 10 days of its occurrence, per the department's policy. APD noted that, "Body-worn camera videos do not always capture everything the officer or witnesses saw or experienced during the incident; however, the footage helps us understand what occurred."
Those materials can be viewed on APD's YouTube page. The clips contain graphic content and language. Viewer discretion is advised.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call APD’s Special Investigation Unit at 512-974-6840 or Capitol Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477. You may also anonymously submit a tip to Crime Stoppers online.