City of Austin
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASERelease Date:
Contact: Police3@austintexas.gov 512-974-5017 Email
Case: 23-0151507
Date: January 15, 2023
Time: 11:33 P.M.
Location: 600 block of W. Colorado Street
Deceased: Anthony Marquis Franklin, Black, Male, 03/04/1991
The Austin Police Department (APD) continues to investigate the officer-involved shooting that occurred on Sunday, January 15, 2023. 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. The 9-1-1 operators obtained information from the 9-1-1 callers and provided officers with a suspect description 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, 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 to 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 and 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 officers' 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.
The incident was captured on three officers' body-worn cameras. Three APD officers discharged their Department approved firearms. Per APD protocol, the officers have been placed on administrative leave. One officer has seven years and nine months of service, another has two years of service with the Department, and the third officer has 11 months of service with the Department.
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.
Anyone with any information should contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.