An African American teenager was killed in Austin after officers shot him while he was holding what seemed to be a gun; however, a further investigation has proved it was a water bottle. In addition, it is believed that the teenager made the 911 call himself.
The teenager’s name is Anthoneil Williams II. According to KXAN, family members have confirmed it; however, they did not provide any statement to the media.
Officers were called in at 4 am on July 24 to the 10100 block of Baden Lane near Dessau Road in northeast Austin. According to Police Chief Lisa Davis, they were told about a young man with a gun in his waistband who sometimes displayed it.
They found Williams after two minutes in the playground near the community park on the same block.
According to Police Chief Lisa Davis, when the officers came closer, they asked him to raise his hands and whether he was alright. Then “very quickly, very suddenly,” he raised his sweatshirt with one hand and reached into his waistband with another.
At 4:02 am, three officers shot. Williams was pronounced dead at 4:25 am. However, Austin-Travis County EMS provided first aid in attempts to save his life, according to the report from the department. No gun was found later; investigators proved the object in his waistband was a water bottle. In addition, the initial call was made from his own cell phone, according to Davis. Therefore, this case could be qualified as suicide by police.
Jake Pitcher, Alexis Cruz, and Avery Zucchi have been identified as the three officers at the scene. These officers have served in the department for about three years, and none of them had shot someone before, according to KUT. All of them are placed on administrative leave until the results of an internal review and separate criminal investigation conducted by the Travis County District Attorney’s Office become known.
Davis stated that body camera video and 911 audio were released on the same day to ensure transparency within the department and stop rumors. She mentioned that officers often need to make critical decisions in just seconds and underlined her department’s desire to review the facts, the evidence, the officers’ actions, and the law.
It was stated that the Austin Police Department did not have any prior contact with Williams.
Nevertheless, this version has not satisfied everyone. Several members of the City Council of Austin posted their statements over the weekend asking for transparency. Zo Qadri wrote on Instagram that, having seen the body camera video, he had even more questions than before, according to FOX 7 Austin.
A vigil was organized Saturday night in the neighborhood park off Baden Lane. Flowers, candles, handwritten notes, and bottles of water were left there, according to KXAN.
More than two dozen activists gathered Tuesday afternoon at Wooldridge Square in downtown Austin to demand that District Attorney José Garza bring charges against the officers, according to KUT. The demonstration moved to the district attorney’s office, where Travis County sheriff’s deputies removed demonstrators. Williams’ father asked protesters to step back.
“We’re calling for justice for Anthoneil,” said Vladimir Herrera of the group Dare to Struggle ATX, according to KXAN.
Cluren Williams, a spokesperson for the family, stated at the rally that the family hoped the death would lead to changes in the department, according to KXAN.
Garza’s office did not answer the request for comments, according to KUT. Garza, whose election campaign was focused on prosecuting police misconduct, managed to get indictments against officers in previous cases, none of which resulted in the imprisonment of an officer, the station mentioned.
Williams’ schoolmate Ameer Alogaili, 16, said that the friend made people laugh and did not want anyone to cry for him, according to FOX 7 Austin and KUT.
Austin Police Association called for the public not to judge prematurely and emphasized the priority of transparency in the ongoing investigations, according to KXAN.
