Austin police released officer-work body cam video after Sixth Street mass shooting

AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police say they are still investigating whether terrorism played a role in the Sixth Street mass shooting, describing it as a possible motive that remains under review.

On Thursday, the Austin Police Department released officer-worn body camera footage from the night of the shooting and played recordings of emergency calls placed in the moments after gunfire erupted early Sunday morning.

“Hello, this is Austin 911. There has been a shooting at Buford’s on Sixth Street. There are people dead,” a caller told dispatchers in one of the recordings. Authorities say numerous calls flooded the 911 center after a gunman opened fire, killing three people and injuring more than a dozen others.

Police Chief Lisa Davis said some of the footage investigators reviewed shows the suspect firing into a crowd, but those images are too graphic to release publicly. “Any video showing the suspect firing his pistol into the crowd is too graphic to show, and we will not be showing that publicly,” Davis said.

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According to investigators, the suspect was driving on West Sixth Street toward Rio Grande Street when he stopped in front of Buford’s and fired into a crowd with a semi-automatic handgun. Body camera footage from responding officers captures the chaotic moments as police and bystanders reacted to the gunfire.

“I am with you,” one officer says in the video before shouting, “AR-15. AR-15. Down! Everybody down!”

Police say not all of the victims were inside the bar when the shooting occurred.“One of the victims was outside of Buford’s waiting for an Uber,” I said during a news conference. Chief Davis agreed that the victims were spread out. “These were not all the people who were in the bar,” she said. “Sixth Street is an entertainment area from east to west. It is an entertainment area. People come to walk along Sixth Street.”

Surveillance video shows the suspect later parking a black SUV, getting out with an AR-15-style rifle, and shooting a pedestrian. By that point, officers had already been dispatched and arrived 57 seconds after the first emergency call, police said. Investigators say the suspect then fired toward officers.“The suspect discharged his weapon at the direction of the officers. The three officers discharged their firearm, striking him multiple times,” Davis said. Body camera footage from the scene caught officers asking, “Where is he? Who shot them?” before additional gunfire is heard.

City leaders say the officers’ rapid response helped prevent further loss of life. Meantime, investigators are asking anyone with video or photos from that night to share them with them.