Austin High Sophomore Killed in Drive-By

Austin police have charged a 16-year-old boy with murder in connection with the Sept. 23 fatal shooting of 16-year-old Austin High sophomore Christopher Briseño. According to police, Briseño and his 17-year-old cousin, Adam Cantu, were walking home along Chicon Street from their school bus stop on Friday afternoon when someone riding in a passing Honda Accord opened fire on them. Cantu was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Brackenridge Hospital; Briseño was reportedly struck four times, including shots to his head and neck, and died early Saturday morning.

Police say that the drive-by shooting may be connected to a fight that broke out at Austin High on Sept. 22, and may be gang-related, but have thus far declined to elaborate. In an open letter addressed to the school community, AHS principal Barbara Spelman wrote that the Thursday fight was between "two other" students, that no one was injured during the altercation, and that the incident had not "compromised" campus safety. On Monday, Spelman, joined by AISD Police Chief Pat Fuller, told reporters that an undisclosed number of students have been "removed" from school in connection with the case, and that AISD Police presence at the school, located near Town Lake and MoPac, has been increased. The school, she emphasized, is safe. "We worked with AISD and APD throughout the weekend, tirelessly, to make sure the school is safe," she said.

Citing privacy concerns and the ongoing criminal investigation, Spelman and Fuller declined to discuss details of the Thursday fight, the Friday shooting, or any possible gang connection. Fuller said that although there's at least some "juvenile involvement in gangs" throughout the city, there's not a "direct gang problem" at Austin High. If the fight, and/or Briseño's murder, is gang-related, it is likely connected indirectly, Fuller suggested to reporters Monday afternoon. The fight may have involved "boys who were gang members, but that doesn't mean it's a gang fight," he said. "It may have been a fight over a girl. It's too soon in the investigation to make that direct connection."

Anyone with information about the fight or the shooting should call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 472-8477.