Details are still emerging from the two separate incidents that left three people dead – two due to shots fired by Austin Police Department officers – on Sunday morning.
The first incident occurred in North Austin near the 10600 block of Golden Quail Drive, just south of Kramer Lane. Police were called to check on the welfare of an individual, later identified as 25-year-old white male Richard Munroe, after a 911 dispatcher described him as being suicidal. When officers arrived, they saw a weapon (later identified by APD as a BB gun) in Munroe’s waistband. APD Chief of Staff Brian Manley said at a press conference Sunday morning that one of the three officers – Stephen Johnson, Matthew Murphy, and John Nelson – attempted to use a Taser on Munroe, but it was “ineffective.” Munroe retreated into his residence before stepping back outside a minute later and reportedly reaching for his weapon. The officers then shot at Munroe, killing him. Manley said all three officers have been placed on administrative leave, as is standard procedure following officer-involved shootings. Officers Johnson and Murphy have each been APD officers for one year. Nelson joined the department more recently, in March.
One hour after Munroe’s death, police were dispatched to the Omni Hotel Downtown after someone called to report that an individual was walking around the lobby with a rifle. APD’s dispatcher reportedly heard crying and yelling in the background during the call. Shortly after, the caller told the dispatcher that the man – identified Monday as Michael Holt – had shot someone in the lobby. Police posted to the hotel at 4:51am and according to Manley, they “did engage in gunfire with the suspect.” The police chased Holt, eventually nearing the hotel’s restaurant. There, one officer – five-year veteran Carlos Lopez – shot and killed Holt at 4:55am. Lopez has also been placed on administrative leave while Internal Affairs and the District Attorney’s Office conduct reviews.
It’s currently unclear why Holt, 35, was at the Omni Hotel with a rifle at 4:45am on a Sunday, but on Monday it was confirmed that he was renting a desk at Capital Factory, a tech start-up incubator with offices on the hotel’s 16th floor. Holt had been an active member of the local start-up community since 2008, working for various tech companies throughout the city. The Statesman reported Tuesday that Holt submitted his bid for the U.S. presidency in early June.
The man Holt killed just before police arrived was identified by police on Monday as Conrado Guadalupe Contreras. Contreras, 60, was an Army veteran and a taxi driver for 15 years with Yellow Cab Austin. Fellow cabbies told the Chronicle that Contreras was a good man. “He was friendly with everybody,” said one, who asked to remain anonymous. “He was born here in the United States, grew up here. He was very nice to immigrants. He talked to us when we’d stand together, and was very friendly.” The driver said that Contreras was at the Omni to make a morning pickup for a guest and ducked inside to use the restroom before departing. He was walking back through the lobby when he fell victim to Holt’s rifle. “It’s everywhere,” the driver said of the dangers presented to cab drivers. “Whether it’s a lunatic guy coming out and shooting him, or a criminal intending to harm us or take our money.” The driver said many in the community have begun to pool money together to help assist those closest to Contreras, who is survived by his daughter, grandson, and four sisters. Additionally. Yellow Cab President Ed Kargbo has created a public fundraiser for Contreras’ family.
To donate to the Contreras family, visit www.gofundme.com/conradocontreras.
Three Deaths Before Dawn
A version of this article appeared in print on Jul 10, 2015 with the headline: Three Deaths Before Dawn
This article appears in July 10 • 2015.