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The Austin Police Department has released body camera footage and audio of the 9-1-1 call that led to a fatal officer-involved shooting in South Austin. Three officers, including Ofc. Adam Reinhart, fired their weapons and tasers, resulting in the death of 60-year-old James Woodrome. The incident is under investigation by the Special Investigations Unit and the Travis County District Attorney’s office. Woodrome approached the officers with a knife and refused to drop it before being shot. The officers are currently on administrative leave. shooting-south-austin-texas” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>FOX 7 Austin reported
Austin Police Department Releases Body Camera Footage of Officer-Involved shooting
AUSTIN, Texas – The Austin Police Department (APD) has recently released body camera footage and audio of a 9-1-1 call that resulted in a fatal officer-involved shooting in South Austin. The incident, which occurred in July, was captured on the body cameras of four officers.
APD has identified the three officers who fired their weapons and tasers during the incident. Officer Adam Reinhart, with almost three-and-a-half years of experience, was the officer responsible for shooting and killing 60-year-old James Woodrome. Officer John Ricker, who has over 13 years of service, and probationary Officer Arlene Lozano, who has been with APD for eight months, also discharged their tasers.
As per protocol, all three officers are currently on administrative leave. APD will be conducting two concurrent investigations into the shooting: a criminal investigation by its Special Investigations Unit and the Travis County District Attorney’s office, and an administrative investigation by Internal Affairs with oversight from the Office of Police Oversight.
Preliminary information about the incident has also been released. At 4:54 a.m. on July 20, Austin 9-1-1 received a call reporting a woman banging on a door, claiming that a man was chasing her at an apartment complex in South Austin. Upon arrival at 5 a.m., officers located the woman, who matched the caller’s description. She informed the officers that a 60-year-old man with gray hair, standing at 6’3″ and wearing navy blue or black basketball shorts and a dark shirt, had chased her through the complex with a knife.
Shortly after, officers communicated via radio that the man, later identified as Woodrome, was last seen running west through the complex. At 5:06 a.m., Woodrome approached the officers in the parking lot while holding a knife. Despite repeated commands to drop the weapon, Woodrome continued to advance towards the officers, yelling for them to shoot and kill him.
Officer Ricker deployed his taser first, followed by Officer Lozano, but both attempts were ineffective. Woodrome persisted in approaching the officers with the knife, leading Officer Reinhart to shoot him. Woodrome was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:19 a.m. Officers immediately provided life-saving measures and requested medical assistance.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact APD’s Special Investigations Unit or Capitol Area Crime Stoppers. Tips can be submitted online at austincrimestoppers.org, and anonymity is guaranteed..
