A criminal investigation is underway in Austin, Texas, after an officer fatally shot a 42-year-old man, Police Chief Brian Manley said in a video posted to the department’s Twitter page Monday.
The shooting took place Friday when police responded to a 911 call about a man allegedly doing drugs in a car with a gun, Manley said at press conference Friday. The man was later identified as Michael Brent Ramos.
The car Ramos was in matched the description of a car that was involved in an incident with police Thursday, Manley said. Ramos got out of the car and did not follow police commands, Manley said.
One officer fired a non-lethal bean bag round, Manley said. Ramos allegedly got back in the car and started to drive off, that’s when another officer fatally shot him, Manley said.
Manley released the names of the officers involved, but CNN is not currently naming them.
Cell phone video of the incident circulated on social media, and members of the community called for the release of the police body camera.
“I will approve Chief Manley’s release of body camera videos collected by police officers, as soon as is practicable. In this instance, I do not see how the release of these videos would compromise the investigation or any subsequent prosecution,” said Margaret Moore, Travis County District Attorney.
The department has already interviewed six officers who were on the scene and 24 witnesses, Manley said.
Austin police have asked the Texas Rangers to join the investigation, and two colonels said they will provide “any and all assistance necessary,” Manley said.
A warrant was obtained and confirmed that the car was the same as a car involved in the incident Thursday, Manley said. The police chief would not confirm if a gun was found in the car.
“I must emphasize that this is a criminal investigation to determine whether the officer’s conduct constitutes a prosecutable offense,” Moore said. “Therefore, collection and preservation of evidence is critical, and every effort must be made to protect the integrity of the investigation.”
CNN’s Ashley Killough and Chris Boyette contributed to this report.
