A man who was injured and taken into custody by police after exchanging gunfire with two officers outside of a home in Southwest Austin Monday morning has been identified as 24-year-old Kyle Thomas Garcia.
Police said they received a call from the 6200 block of La Naranja Lane, more than one mile north of West Slaughter Lane, at 12:30 a.m. March 12.
The caller said that her son, Garcia, was threatening his father with a handgun inside of their home. The caller also added that Garcia had additional ammunition around his neck.
At 12:35 a.m., the caller said she was going outside to wait for officers to arrive at the scene.
The first officers arrived at the scene at 12:39 a.m., and they waited outside for other officers to arrive so that they could approach the scene safely.
At 12:41 a.m., the officers reported hearing multiple shots fired inside of the residence, and Air 1, the Austin Police Department's helicopter, was cleared to fly over the scene to give officers a better look inside the residence. Officers said at some point, they were able to get the parents outside of the home safely while they waited to make contact with Garcia.
Four minutes later, officers reported seeing Garcia move toward the front door of the home.
According to an affidavit, officers ordered Garcia to disarm but instead he opened his front door and fired shots at officers with a pistol before he moved back into the house. Officers returned fire and the suspect retreated back into the home, police said.
Moments later, Garcia surrendered to police.
Garcia was taken to a hospital where he was treated for his injuries. Soon after, he was released from the hospital and taken into custody again. He's expected to be okay.
During an interview with police, Garcia's mother said he had been drinking and became agitated when she and her husband attempted to speak with him. At some point, Garcia went to his bedroom and closed the door. The affidavit said his mother could hear a "click," which she said was the sound of a slide being moved on a handgun.
The father told police during an interview that after the mother fled the home, Garcia chased him into the master bedroom. The father barricaded himself inside the room before Garcia allegedly began stabbing the door with a knife. Garcia then reportedly fired through the bedroom door.
After Garcia was taken into custody, he allegedly admitted to being drunk, to firing his weapon inside the home and to firing his gun at officers.
The two officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative duty as multiple agencies investigated the shooting to make sure it was compliant with department policies. Chief Manley said one of the officers has served with the department for six years while the second officer has been with the department for less than a year.
"We want to express sympathy to the family that was involved with this," Manley said. "As we say when we write these incidents, we do what we can to try and de-escalate the situation and try and safely take individuals into custody."
Manley added that it is fortunate that the suspect was not injured more than he was Monday morning.
According to online records, Garcia has been charged with aggravated assault and aggravated assault against a public servant with bonds totaling to $175,000. Garcia is still in police custody as of Wednesday morning.