Brandon Thompson has been charged in connection with a shooting early Wednesday morning that left an officer injured and a woman braindead.

AUSTIN, Texas — We’re learning more about the events that led up to a shooting involving an officer near Zilker Park early Wednesday morning.

Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis and Austin ISD Police Department Chief Wayne Sneed held a press conference on Friday to provide an update on the incident. 

On Sept. 10, just after 3:30 a.m., Austin Police Department (APD) officers were conducting a curfew check near Zilker Park when they found a vehicle that had been reported as stolen in the 700 block of Azie Morton Road. When a tow truck arrived and was preparing to take the vehicle away, APD said Officer Adam Reinhart was approached by two people claiming the vehicle was theirs. APD said a short time later, Reinhart approached the pair as they began to walk into a wooded area.

At 4:10 a.m., Reinhart approached the woodline and identified himself as an officer. APD said Reinhart gave multiple commands for the people to come out of the woods. That’s when body camera footage shared by APD shows the woman – later identified as 30-year-old Kay Smith – begin walking toward Reinhart. Reinhart gives commands to the man behind Smith – later identified as 30-year-old Brandon Thompson – telling him to take his hands out of his pocket.

Shortly after, the footage shows Thompson firing shots that strike Smith in the head and Reinhart in the abdomen. Reinhart returned fire, and Thompson ran back to the wooded area. APD said Reinhart waited for backup and, about two minutes later, more officers arrived on the scene. Reinhart was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for his injuries and, as of Friday, Davis said he is home recovering.

Smith was also taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced braindead at 2:57 p.m. the same day. Davis said it is believed she and Thompson were in a relationship.

“This is a senseless act of violence that cut short a young life far too soon, and violent crime of this nature is devastating and unnecessary and is felt by our entire community,” Davis said.

Officers began searching the area for Thompson, and at 7:44 a.m., APD said a suspicious person call came in from the Austin ISD Police Department (AISD PD) at Barton Hills Elementary School. The school had already been under “secure” protocol, but when leaders learned the suspect was nearby, the campus went into “lockdown.” An AISD PD sergeant recognized the person as the suspect police were looking for and gave him verbal commands, according to APD. However, Thompson continued to run.

At approximately 7:52 a.m., Thompson was spotted by an APD officer and he ran away toward a home in the 2500 block of Homedale Drive. Police said Thompson kicked open the front door, ran into the house and was shot in the arm and leg by the homeowner.

Thompson was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for his injuries. APD said Friday that he is in stable condition. 

He is currently charged with Attempted Capital Murder of a Peace Officer and Burglary of a Residence, both first-degree felonies. Additional charges against Thompson are pending, according to APD.

Thompson is no stranger to law enforcement. According to court records, since 2021, he’s been convicted on charges like drug possession, resisting arrest and unauthorized use of a vehicle. The arrest affidavit for Wednesday’s incident also said Smith was listed as a victim of family assault violence, with Thompson as the suspect.  

Davis said she and her officers are frustrated by having to arrest the same repeat offenders over and over. 

“I want to get out of this continuous loop,” Davis said. “How do we get people the help they need, recognize that there are people that fall into that category? But there are, unfortunately, people that need to be put in jail and that is the reality.”

This is the fifth time Austin police have been involved in shootings this year. Davis said it’s unfortunate that it’s happened that frequently, but in each scenario, the suspect had a gun.

APD will conduct two concurrent investigations into this shooting: a criminal investigation conducted by the Special Investigations Unit in conjunction with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office and an administrative investigation conducted by the Internal Affairs Unit, with oversight from the Office of Police Oversight.   

Reinhart, who has six years and two months experience with the department, has been placed on administrative leave, per APD protocol.

On Friday, both Davis and Sneed also addressed communication issues that led to a prematurely downgraded shelter-in-place order and confusion for AISD parents, with Davis saying “moments like this are critical” and both saying the situation could have been handled differently.