Case:            21-1931522       
 
Date:            Monday, July 12, 2021
 
Time:           10:38 p.m.
 
Location:     10242 Missel Thrush Dr.
 
Deceased:    Joshua Cooper, White male, August 14, 1985
 
Arrested:      Aaron David Garza, Hispanic male, 18 years of age
 
The Austin Police Department (APD) has made an arrest in the July 12 homicide of Joshua Cooper on Missel Thrush Dr. On Tuesday, July 13, 2021, a warrant was issued for Aaron David Garza charging him with murder. Mr. Garza was arrested by the Lonestar Fugitive Task Force and was booked in at the Williamson County Jail.
 
On Monday, July 12, 2021 at approximately 10:38 p.m., Austin 911 received a call in reference to shots being fired. Additional calls reported screaming following the shots being fired. APD officers arrived on scene and discovered a male laying in the street in front of 10241 Missel Thrush Dr. The male victim appeared to have been shot and was unresponsive. APD officers along with neighboring residents attempted life-saving measures until Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) arrived. ATCEMS took over but were unsuccessful in reviving Mr. Cooper. He was pronounced deceased at 11:05 p.m. on the scene. 
 
APD officers also discovered two female victims in front of 10245 Missel Thrush Dr. Both female victims sustained head injuries from an apparent assault. The two females were quickly assessed and transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. It became apparent that the two females were related to the male victim. The suspect had fled according to information provided at the scene.   
 
Homicide investigators along with Crime scene technicians arrived on the scene.  The case is under investigation and investigators are developing leads in identifying the suspect in this case.
 
On July 13, 2021, the Travis County Medical Examiner’s office conducted an autopsy and determined the official cause of death to be gunshot wounds and the manner of death homicide.

Detectives are asking anyone with information or video of the incident to call APD Homicide at 512-974-TIPS, email homicide.apd@austintexas.gov, utilize the Crime Stoppers tip line at 512-472-8477 (TIPS), or the Crime Stoppers app. You may remain anonymous. Information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
 
You can also submit tips by downloading APD’s mobile app, Austin PD, free on iPhone and Android.

This is Austin's 46^th homicide of 2021.

The booking photo can be obtained from the Williamson County Jail.