AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Austin Police on Wednesday released a briefing video detailing an officer-involved shooting earlier this year that resulted in the death of 27-year old Alex Gonzales, Jr. in southeast Austin.
The incident happened shortly after 12:30 a.m. on January 5 in the 2500 block of Wickersham Lane, just southeast of Oltorf Street and South Pleasant Valley Road.
WARNING: The briefing video below contains graphic content that some viewers may find disturbing.
The briefing video contains a combination of body camera and dash camera video from the responding officers, as well as eyewitness video from a nearby apartment complex.
The incident began when Gonzales allegedly cut off a vehicle being driven by off-duty APD officer Gabriel Gutierrez, a five-year veteran of APD. Gutierrez said that Gonzales pointed a gun at him after cutting him off, at which point Gutierrez opened fire from the moving cars and then called for backup.
Both cars drove further on Wickersham before stopping, at which point two on-duty officers responded.
In the video, Officer Luis Serrato, with APD for two years, can be seen and heard giving several verbal commands to Gonzales in both English and Spanish. Gonzales ignores the commands, walked around his vehicle, and proceeded to reach inside the rear passenger door. At that point, Serrato opened fire, shooting Gonzales a total of 10 times.
Gonzales was pronounced deceased about 15 minutes later. A female passenger, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, was lying on the ground outside the vehicle during Gonzales' confrontation with officers. She was transported to a nearby hospital and treated for her injuries. An infant child was in the rear passenger seat, in a car seat, and was unharmed in the incident.
Police say a gun was found in Gonzales' car, in the driver's side floorboard.
The video was released in accordance with City of Austin policy, which calls for dashcam and body camera footage of "critical incidents" to be released within 60 days. Officials have said the February winter storm delayed the release of the video in this case.
While the investigations into this incident continue, both Gutierrez and Serrato remain on administrative duty.
