Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis discusses the officer involved shooting in the 1100 block of West Cesar Chavez St. during a press conference at the Public Safety Headquarters in Austin, Monday, July 13, 2026.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
Austin police on Monday released new details about the fatal shooting of a man accused of threatening members of a downtown running group with a handgun hours before officers shot and killed him near the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail.
Police identified the man as Emmanuel Diaz during a Monday news conference, where officials played 911 recordings and body camera footage from one of the officers who fired. Police Chief Lisa Davis said Diaz struck a woman with an electric scooter, pointed a handgun at several people during the earlier confrontation and, hours later, raised the gun toward officers before they opened fire.
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Investigators have not determined what prompted Diaz’s actions.
“It would be premature for me to speculate about why these events occurred,” Davis said.
When were police notified of the suspect?
The first 911 call came at 8:13 a.m. Saturday after a runner told Diaz to slow down as he rode an electric scooter past a running group near North Lamar Boulevard and West Fifth Street, Davis said.
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According to police, the exchange escalated into an argument. Diaz allegedly directed slurs at the runners, struck a woman with the scooter and pulled out a handgun.
In videos taken by the runners and 911 recordings released Monday, the group can be seen and heard scattering and hiding as Diaz followed members of the group on the scooter. One caller said Diaz threatened to shoot them and used an anti-gay slur. The caller told dispatchers Diaz rode from North Lamar onto West Sixth Street and then Baylor Street before disappearing.
Officers arrived within two minutes but did not immediately locate Diaz. Police spent the next several hours interviewing witnesses, reviewing surveillance video and trying to track him through the downtown trail system.
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When did police shoot the suspect?
At 11:07 a.m., officers spotted Diaz near the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, police said.
A map shows the location of the incident as Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis discusses the officer involved shooting in the 1100 block of West Cesar Chavez St. during a press conference at the Public Safety Headquarters in Austin, Monday, July 13, 2026.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
Body camera footage showed Diaz approach an outdoor exercise class as officers called out for him to stop. He abandoned the scooter and ran while officers repeatedly ordered him to stop and drop the handgun they said he was carrying.
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Davis said Diaz continued toward the area outside the TownLake YMCA and pointed the gun at pursuing officers. Police said the footage shows Diaz raising the handgun as officers approached before two officers opened fire at 11:08 a.m.
The officers fired an estimated 17 rounds.
Officers handcuffed Diaz and began providing medical aid until paramedics arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers or members of the public were injured.
Davis described the encounter as a “rapidly evolving and dangerous” situation in which officers had “only seconds to make critical decisions.”
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Police recovered the handgun Diaz allegedly pointed at officers, along with two additional loaded handguns and ammunition inside his backpack. Davis said all three firearms had rounds in their chambers and none appeared to have been reported stolen.
What happens next?
Investigators are examining Diaz’s cellphone and other evidence as they work to determine a motive.
Davis said it is too early to determine whether the confrontation with the runners was motivated by bias or why Diaz continued carrying multiple loaded firearms several hours later.
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Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis discusses the officer involved shooting in the 1100 block of West Cesar Chavez St. during a press conference at the Public Safety Headquarters in Austin, Monday, July 13, 2026.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
“We are committed to following the evidence wherever that leads,” Davis said.
Police said Diaz was arrested by Houston police in 2021 on a charge of assault on a public servant. Austin police said they do not know how that case was resolved because it was handled in another jurisdiction.
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The Travis County medical examiner’s office is conducting an autopsy and toxicology testing. Police said they do not yet know Diaz’s mental health history or housing status.
As with other Austin police shootings, the case is being reviewed through separate criminal and administrative investigations. The department’s Special Investigations Unit and the Travis County district attorney’s office are conducting the criminal investigation, while Internal Affairs is reviewing whether the officers complied with department policy.