Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis watches body camera footage during a press conference at APD headquarters, July 24, 2026 after a person was shot and killed by an APD officer early in the morning at the 10100 block of Baden Lane in an incident the police chief described as a possible “suicide by police.”
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Newly released body-camera footage showed Austin police officers fatally shooting an unarmed 17-year-old Black teenager early Friday during what authorities described as a mental health crisis, offering the first public view of the encounter.
The video, released alongside 911 call audioat a news conference Friday afternoon, shows officers responding to a neighborhood park in the 10110 block of Baden Lane after the teenager called 911 to report a young male with a firearm.
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“He keeps on messing with his waist,” the teenager told the 911 dispatcher. “Then I seen something in his hands. It looked like a firearm, but I’m not sure.”
The body-camera footage showed three responding officers approaching the teenager on a playground and verbally ordering him to show his hands. The teenager instead lifted his shirt and reached toward his waistband, prompting near-instantaneous gunfire from the three officers. They opened fire again after the teenager kept moving while on the ground.
Police Chief Lisa Davis said the officers believed the teenager was about to draw a weapon, but no firearm was recovered.
Davis said officers later determined the teenager had a water bottle in his waistband.
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Davis apologized to the teenager’s family at the news conference, saying she cannot imagine the pain and grief they are experiencing. But, she said the officers arrived believing they would encounter an armed person and responded appropriately.
“Officers are often required to make life or death decisions in seconds,” Davis said. “This was a rapidly evolving incident.”
Davis again said that all signs point to the teenager seeking out “suicide by police” — a characterization she presented at an earlier briefing. She cited the circumstances surrounding the 911 call and her three decades of law enforcement experience as reasons to support that conclusion. She said the Police Department had no prior interactions with the teenager.
Austin Police block off a large radius around the site of an officer-involved shooting on Baden Lane July 24.
Justin Doud/Austin American-Statesman
When the teen called 911, he specifically requested a police response despite being offered a mental health option by the dispatcher, according to the audio recording.
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Greg Meyer, an internationally recognized expert in police use of force, reviewed the video at the American-Statesman’s request and said the encounter appeared to depict “suicide by cop.” However, Meyer said investigators will ultimately focus on whether the officers’ actions were reasonable based on what they perceived at the time.
He said one question investigators will examine is whether it was reasonable for one of the officers to continue shooting after the subject fell to the ground.
“It’s a tragic case, as these things usually are,” Meyer said.
The teenager’s death could intensify longstanding questions in Austin about how police respond to mental health emergencies, particularly when those in crisis are Black and unarmed. Advocates have urged the city for years to expand civilian crisis response programs and reduce the likelihood that mental health calls end in deadly force.
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Austin Police crime scene investigators analyze the site of an officer-involved shooting on Baden Lane July 24.
Justin Doud/Austin American-Statesman
Community activist Chas Moore, who watched the footage Friday, questioned the framing of the shooting as “suicide by cop” and argued the encounter underscored the need for more mental health crisis response personnel who can respond to emergencies alongside police. Moore said the video showed opportunities where a different response might have helped the teenager.
“I just hate the fact that we’re here again,” Moore told the Statesman. “It’s just a clear example of why we need different options. What if that 17-year-old had a different agency respond, one that could have helped him?”
Austin has expanded its mental health emergency response system in recent years, including adding a mental health option to its 911 system and launching specialized first responder teams that pair officers with behavioral health clinicians. But those programs remain limited.
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Davis said the department’s Special Investigations Unit is conducting a criminal investigation. APD’s Internal Affairs Unit is conducting a separate administrative investigation with oversight from Austin Police Oversight.
The teenager’s identity will be released after his family is notified, Davis said.