With six terrible deaths in less than two weeks, the city of Austin is dealing with a worrying increase in homicide cases. The Austin Police Department (APD) is actively looking into these instances, which have increased the number of homicides this year to 62, which is close to the 73 total from the previous year, according to a recent press conference. “It’s challenging to identify the precise causes. In a statement that CBS Austin was able to receive, Lieutenant Sheldon Askew disclosed, “We’ve seen this spike over a short, short period of time.” As he said at the news conference on Tuesday, November 19, the incidents appear to be unrelated.
APD’s resources are strained by call volumes, which does not take into account an overworked homicide unit. “We’ve seen tremendous spike in the number of homicides since 2020 especially, and obviously this unit bears responsibility to thoroughly investigate and hold those people accountable and responsible,” Askew stated at the conference. According to My San Antonio, APD Chief Lisa Davis, who took over in August, has observed a sharp rise in homicides since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, which is different from the typical yearly average of 25–30 killings.
Shelby Wayne Cody, who had allegedly made plans to meet someone before being shot, was fatally shot on November 7th, starting the latest spate of killings. The following day, Matthew Escalante suffered a similar fate when a scheduled encounter turned fatal and he was shot and died. Elijah Martinez was stabbed to death on November 10, Luis Marroquin was arrested on suspicion of killing Marco Antonio Nunez-Mayan on November 13, and Travis Holland was shot by his brother-in-law on November 15, continuing the string of violent incidents. The most recent event, a shooting at an apartment complex in North Austin, sadly killed Jessica Shaw on November 16 and led to Noah Mata’s arrest on first-degree aggravated robbery charges. Austin’s 62nd killing of the year occurred when his stray bullet, fired during an unrelated dispute, entered Shaw’s flat.
Michael Bullock, the president of the Austin Police Association, has made scathing remarks in response to these serial incidents, criticizing the legal system of not adequately dealing with repeat criminals. “We have had too many instances where we have repeat offenders, that, even when they’re committing low-level crime, they start escalating, and it turns into serious violent offenses where someone winds up dying,” Bullock stated to CBS Austin. Lieutenant Askew, meantime, continues to act professionally while admitting that working with the District Attorney’s office has been difficult but determined. “We don’t always understand, necessarily, the reasons why things don’t end in the way in which we would prefer them to, but oftentimes we don’t have the luxury of knowing everything that’s going on behind the scenes,”Askew told reporters.
The APD is unwavering in its resolve to resolve these cases and stop additional acts of violence. In order to facilitate cooperation between their offices, Chief Lisa Davis and District Attorney Garza will meet monthly as part of their efforts to build a comprehensive relationship. As the holiday season draws near, the community looks for explanations and reassurances while the police investigate this recent batch of cases, holding out hope for safety and peace in the wake of these tragedies.
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