Accident – Death – Obituary News :

Austin Police Officer Indicted in Connection with Deadly Shooting

An Austin Police Department (APD) officer, Daniel Sanchez, has been charged with deadly conduct in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred over a year ago. The incident involved the death of Rajan Moonesinghe, a tech entrepreneur, and co-founder of InKind, a local financing and consulting group for minority-owned and underrepresented restaurants.

The tragic event took place on November 15, 2022, when the police responded to a 911 call reporting a man standing outside Moonesinghe’s home, holding a rifle and pointing it at the property. Officer Sanchez, along with Officer Stephen Market, arrived at the scene around 12:30 am. According to the police, Sanchez commanded Moonesinghe to drop the gun. However, body camera footage released by APD revealed that Sanchez fired his department-approved gun at Moonesinghe immediately after giving the command, causing him to fall to the ground.

Officer Markert requested Moonesinghe to show his hands but received no response. Officer Luis Brito joined them on the front porch, and all three officers initiated life-saving measures. Despite their efforts, Moonesinghe succumbed to his injuries after being transported to a nearby hospital.

Following the tragic incident, Moonesinghe’s family members and other advocates have called for increased police accountability. The indictment of Officer Sanchez is seen as a step towards addressing these concerns.

Officer Sanchez is currently on paid administrative duty. Brad Heilman, Sanchez’s defense attorney, provided a statement after the indictment, asserting the officer’s actions were in response to a threat. He mentioned that Officer Sanchez had responded to a 911 call reporting a man firing a rifle into his own house, and when Sanchez arrived at the scene, he heard additional gunshots. Heilman further stated that an expert report, which deemed Officer Sanchez’s use of force as objectively reasonable, was provided to the District Attorney for consideration by the grand jury.

The full story and video footage can be accessed on KVUE.com. Brianna Caleri contributed to this report post-publication.

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