City of Austin
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASERelease Date:
Contact: APD Public Information Office 512-974-5017 Email
he Austin Police Department (APD) continues to investigate the officer-involved shooting that occurred on Sunday, January 15, 2022.
APD continues to work diligently to build trust within our community. As per our policy, we share information about a critical incident within ten business days of its occurrence. Transparency and accountability are key to our ability to serve the Austin community, so we will provide an account of this critical incident to help you understand the chain of events. APD is working with the Office of Police Oversight and the City of Austin to release this information today. The press release includes links to the relevant audio and video from the ongoing investigation. The Travis-County District Attorney's Office reviewed the audio and video materials identified for public release. The details provided today are preliminary, as we are very early in the investigation.
The Officers who discharged their Department-approved firearms are Officer Kelby Radford, Officer Ryan Rawlins, and Officer Jacob Bowman.
On Sunday, January 15, 2022 at approximately 11:33 p.m., Austin 9-1-1 Communications received multiple 9-1-1 calls regarding a man with a gun and gunshots fired in the downtown area. The 9-1-1 calls were received within seconds of one another. The callers provided various locations in and around W. 6th Street. Officers immediately responded to the calls for help.
At 11:34 p.m., a 9-1-1 call was received with multiple people on the phone line. A female on the call said an individual was shooting in the area of Lavaca Street and 5th Street. A male on the same 9-1-1 call said someone was shot.
At 11:36 p.m., another 9-1-1 caller described a chaotic scene with people running in the 300 block of W. 6th Street. Officers responded to the area as the information was provided by Austin 9-1-1 communications.
At 11:35 p.m., the first officers arrived on the scene and began searching for the man with a gun. Information was obtained from the 9-1-1 callers and witnesses on the scene. Based on the information, a description was given to officers, which was put out over the police radio. Officers continued searching the area as they gathered information about the suspect's description and last known direction of travel. The suspect was described as a black male, thin build, 6'1" to 6'2", with "afro style hair," and wearing all dark clothing.
At approximately 11:38 p.m., a male shooting victim was located at 5th and Lavaca Street, and he began speaking with officers. The victim had a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Officers provided medical aid to the victim as Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS) was called at the scene. The male victim was transported to a local hospital by ATCEMS, where he was treated and discharged.
Officers continued searching the area for the suspect involved in the shooting.
At approximately 11:43 p.m., three APD officers riding in an APD utility vehicle in the area saw a male, later identified as Anthony Marquis Franklin, who matched the description of the shooter. As the officers began to approach and call out to Mr. Franklin, they observed Mr. Franklin had a gun. The officers yelled out "gun" to one another. The officers gave Mr. Franklin several commands to drop the gun. Mr. Franklin did not comply with the officers' orders. He began to run westbound on W. 6th Street and then northbound on Colorado Street. One of the officers jumped out of the utility vehicle and began to run after Mr. Franklin on foot. The other two officers continued to follow in the utility vehicle. The officers verbally commanded Mr. Franklin to drop the gun and show his hands. Mr. Franklin again did not comply with the officer's commands.
As the pursuit of Mr. Franklin approached 601 Colorado Street, Mr. Franklin ran onto the porch of a building. An unknown male was also on the porch and, at this point in the investigation, is not believed to be involved in this incident. The unknown male quickly jumped off the porch with his hands up and ran away from the scene. The officers continued to order Mr. Franklin to show his hands. Mr. Franklin also jumped off the porch and fell to the ground. Within seconds, all three officers fired their Department-issued firearms at Mr. Franklin, striking him. Mr. Franklin threw the gun toward a vehicle parked on the street near him. The gun landed directly in front of Mr. Franklin. The officers told Mr. Franklin, "do not move," and he complied with those commands. Once officers gained compliance from Mr. Franklin, the officers approached Mr. Franklin even though the gun was still within close proximity to Mr. Franklin. The officers secured Mr. Franklin and searched him for additional weapons. The officers immediately began life-saving measures.
Officers requested medical assistance to the scene. Mr. Franklin was transported to a local hospital by ATCEMS with serious injuries, and at approximately 12:30 a.m., Mr. Franklin succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased. No other civilians or officers sustained physical injuries.
A firearm was located on the ground near Mr. Franklin.
This incident was captured on all three officers' body-worn cameras and an exterior office building camera. Body-worn and dash 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.
In compliance with state law that prohibits the release of certain information and to maintain the integrity of the investigation, the materials have been redacted.
The materials in this release include comprehensive footage of the officers' actions and contain graphic content and language. Viewer discretion is advised.
MATERIALS RELEASED:
• Two 9-1-1 audio files
• Police radio Traffic
• Body-worn camera -Officer Kelby Radford
• Body-worn camera - Officer Ryan Rawlins
• Body-worn camera - Officer Jacob Bowman
• Office building video
All of the released materials are available on the Department's
YouTube and other social media platforms. The link to the materials is below.
Please click the link here: Materials
Per APD protocol, the three officers who discharged their
Department-approved firearms have been placed on administrative leave. Officer Rawlins has seven years and nine months of service, Officer Radford has three years and eight months of service, and Officer Bowman has 11 months of service with the Department.
APD will conduct two concurrent investigations into this incident: a criminal investigation 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.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS or use the new Crime Stoppers App.