Protesters gathered several days last week in Downtown Austin to remember Anthoneil Williams II, a Black teenager who was fatally shot by Austin Police Department officers in Northeast Austin on July 24.
As questions surrounding the shooting linger, the 17-year-old’s father and friends joined protesters, demanding the Austin Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office take action against the officers involved.
“We are tired of watching these officers never be held accountable,” said Cluren Williams, a protest organizer and family liaison who is not related to the teenager’s family. “They keep their jobs, they keep their benefits, and they can also continue to live amongst us with no repercussions. We’re hoping that today it stops.”
According to APD, officers responded to reports of a man, later identified as Williams, brandishing a firearm in the parking lot of 10110 Baden Ln. early that Friday morning. As law enforcement approached the teenager, who was pacing around a playground, the three officers – Alexis Cruz, Jake Pitcher, and Avery Zucchi – ordered Williams to keep his hands up. Williams then reached for an object in his waistband, leading to the officers firing their weapons.
The officers fired over 20 bullets at the teenager, according to body camera footage released by the city. After discharging their initial rounds, the officers halted for a short moment, reloading their weapons before firing several more times.
Authorities later identified the object Williams reached for in his waistband as a water bottle. No weapons were found at the scene.
In a press conference days after the incident, Police Chief Lisa Davis explained that Williams allegedly placed the 911 call, which drew police to the park. “All points are indicating that this was a suicide by police,” she said.
Details regarding the shooting are still emerging, though officials have suggested Williams was undergoing a mental health crisis. All three officers have since been placed on administrative leave as ongoing investigations into the shooting continue.
At Tuesday’s protest, which started at Wooldridge Square Park, many within the crowd carried portraits of other victims of police violence, including Lawrence Parrish and Michael Ramos, who were both shot by Austin police officers in recent years.
Protesters voiced outrage at local officials, including Travis County District Attorney José Garza, as they marched to the Ronald Earle Building, which houses the D.A.’s Office. The protesters made their way inside the lobby, pushing through a security checkpoint where they confronted a security guard for several tense minutes. Two deputies from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office arrived, briefly clashing with a handful of protesters as they forced the crowd to leave the building.
No arrests were made, though several police cars followed at a distance as protesters continued marching through Downtown. The protest later concluded that evening at Wooldridge Square.
Joseph Hernandez, 16, was close friends with Williams and attended Tuesday’s demonstration. When he first saw the online body camera footage, he wasn’t aware that the individual in the video was his friend.
“My heart was broken for whoever that kid was,” Hernandez said. “They need to be held accountable for what they did. No human deserves that treatment.”
Though preliminary findings from APD have indicated that the incident was potentially a suicide by police, protesters have pushed back on that narrative.
Rich Heyman, former UT lecturer and candidate for City Council District 9, said the police chief’s comments on the shooting are an “admission that a young Black boy can expect to be killed by police officers. … That someone could rely on that kind of prediction is a sign of the problem – it’s not an excuse.”
On Wednesday, July 29, APD released additional footage taken from a surveillance camera at the park that shows Williams sitting on a wall next to the playground moments before the officers’ arrival. The video is timestamped in the minutes between his alleged 911 phone call and the shooting. As officers approached the park, Williams can be seen getting up and walking to the other side of the playground, where he paced back and forth before the chaos ensued.
Public backlash continued at City Hall on Thursday, as nearly 100 protesters interrupted the City Council’s scheduled budget meeting to express outrage and grief over Williams’ killing.
This story is still developing, as local organizations continue to hold demonstrations honoring the life of Williams and urging local officials to take action against the officers. The D.A.’s Office told the Chronicle it will conduct an independent review after it receives evidence from APD’s Special Investigations Unit.
“We do not, and we will not stand while they sweep this under the rug. … The child had a name, he had a history, he had a great upbringing, he had friends, he had success in his future,” Cluren Williams said. “And now, they’ve dehumanized him.”
This article appears in August 7 • 2026.
