Austin, TX
Residents in Austin neighborhood concerned about crime as police department struggles with understaffing
Understaffing in the Austin Police Department in Texas has left residents concerned about crime in the city.
Residents in the Montopolis neighborhood in Austin’s southeast told KVUE-TV crime in their area is getting worse.
Delwin Goss told the station he woke up to gunshots in the neighborhood overnight Thursday, which he said has become shockingly common.
“It’s making the hair on my arms stand up. To hear eight, nine, 10 shots. Just bam, bam, bam. Where are those bullets going?” he said.
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Residents in the Montopolis neighborhood in Austin’s southeast are concerned crime in their area is getting worse. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He said his neighbor told him she hears gunshots from her home between two to three times a week.
“I don’t want to be shot sleeping in my bed,” he added.
And although Austin Police told him when he called they were already investigating, he blames the department’s understaffing problem.
Austin Police Association President Mike Bullock addressed the officer shortage Thursday, writing on X, “500 officers short has a real impact on businesses and Austinites who expect to be able to safely run a business and live in Austin. We’re so close to having a contract that can make significant progress towards ending the staffing crisis. Question now is if the city will actually prioritize making it happen.”
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Austin City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly addressed the police understaffing problem this week while speaking on the Austin Police Association’s podcast, attributing it to funding cuts in 2020.
“Our staffing currently at the police department is a direct result of the failed policy that was passed in 2020 to remove funding for the police department,” she told Bullock.
The Austin Police Department has faced a shortage of officers since being defunded in 2020. (Dave Creaney/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“We want a fully staffed department that takes care of our city employees that are loving the work that they do cause then they’re going to do a better job of taking care of the community.”
Kelly told KVUE that council members are working to get more officers on the job so residents can feel safe in their neighborhoods.
“He feels as if his part of the district, part of town, is neglected, and I firmly believe that everyone, despite what district they are in, deserves the opportunity to feel safe in their own homes,” Kelly told the station.
While the city has brought down the homicide rate since a record of 89 in 2021, it still remains high.
“I think the bottom line is that, over the last three years, we’ve seen the highest homicide rates we have seen ever in the city,” Bullock told FOX 7 earlier this year. “So, either way, no matter which way we look at it, we’re not on a good trend. We’re headed in the wrong direction.”
The city reported 71 homicides in 2022, 73 in 2023 and 42 this year as of Monday, according to KXAN-TV.
In February, the department said the city was experiencing roughly one murder a week, FOX 7 reported.
Austin’s 89 murders in 2021 came after the Austin City Council defunded the police in 2020, which caused massive staffing shortages that prevented police from responding to non-emergency calls. The previous record was 59 in 1984, long before Austin standardized its ambulance services and had the two level one trauma centers it has now.
“I’ve watched it for the last five, six, seven years, and it just gets a little worse,” Goss said. “I see more open drug use in this neighborhood, more drug dealing.
“They’re not out here protecting me or my 85-year-old heart transplant neighbor or the widow that’s in her 70s next door,” he added.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Austin Police Department and Kelly for comment.
Austin, TX
More dangerous Texas floods expected after at least 2 killed and hundreds of people rescued in high water, governor says – WTOP News
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — More dangerous Texas floods expected after at least 2 killed and hundreds of people rescued in…
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — More dangerous Texas floods expected after at least 2 killed and hundreds of people rescued in high water, governor says.
Copyright
© 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
KERRVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — The City of Kerrville issued a shelter-in-place Thursday morning, with heavy rain causing reported evacuations early Thursday morning. A Flash Flood Warning is currently in place for Kerr County as the Guadalupe River continues to rise.
Around 5:30 a.m., the National Weather Service said a “large and deadly flood wave is moving down” the Guadalupe River.
KXAN First Warning Weather Meteorologist Kristen Currie said approximately 11 inches of rain have fallen northwest of Kerr County since 10 p.m. on Wednesday. The Guadalupe River is expected to reach major flood stage in multiple areas.
Kerr County PIO Lisa Walter said “there have been multiple swift water rescues and evacuations.” Officials emphasized not to drive through flooded streets and to turn around if water covers the roadway.
Evacuations were underway in multiple areas, according to the county, including:
- Goat Creek
- Arcadia Loop
- Lowery/Guadalupe area
- Junction Highway low-water crossings
- Other low-lying neighborhoods
Emergency shelters are open at Impact Church (Goat Creek evacuation point), Calvary Temple Church and City West Church for people in West Kerr County, the county said.
Here are the latest headlines:
Live updates
7:03 a.m.: KXAN’s Kevin Baskar is in Gillespie County providing updates on the latest flood conditions in the area. Watch his update below.
6:37 a.m.: Kerr County officials emphasized not to drive through flooded streets and to turn around if water covers the roadway.
Evacuations were underway in multiple areas, according to the county, including:
- Goat Creek
- Arcadia Loop
- Lowery/Guadalupe area
- Junction Highway low-water crossings
- Other low-lying neighborhoods
Emergency shelters are open at Impact Church (Goat Creek evacuation point), Calvary Temple Church and City West Church for people in West Kerr County, the county said.
6:27 a.m.: Video shows emergency crews hauling boats and rescue equipment through Kerrville.
6:15 a.m. NewsNation correspondent Xavier Walton and his photographer captured a structure being swept up in river water and crashing into a Kerrville bridge. The structure appears to be some sort of shipping container, pushing against the bridge.
Watch the video below:
6:08 a.m.: Kerr County PIO Lisa Walter confirms “there have been multiple swift water rescues and evacuations.”
6:02 a.m.: The Guadalupe River at Center Point is expected to crest at 35 feet, which is the same crest as July 4, 2025.
5:57 a.m.: The National Weather Service said “a large deadly flood wave” is moving down the Guadalupe River.
5:49 a.m.: The Comfort Volunteer Fire Department said it has units in Kerrville and Centerpoint alerting people along the Guadalupe River. They’re helping Kerr County with evacuations along Highway 27 between Comfort and Centerpoint. They said all VFD personnel are OK.
5:30 a.m.: The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that it’s received reports of “street flooding in Ingram, and it’s likely many roads and city streets are flooded as well.”
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As flood threats continue across parts of South Central Texas, Austin Pets Alive! has activated emergency response efforts to support animal shelters affected by the inclement weather.
In a social media post, APA! wrote, “We began offering aid last night, working to secure fosters for 10 dogs in the Castroville shelter, an open-air shelter that sits at the bottom of a valley.”
APA! said the situation escalated overnight with additional shelters reporting flooding. One shelter confirmed that floodwaters reached its facility, APA! added.
Communities overwhelmed due to weather include Uvalde, Castroville and Sabinal.
The nonprofit is asking the Austin community to foster, adopt or donate to free up capacity for animals displaced by the disaster. APA! needs to clear out its facilities to assist the animals in need of shelter.
Here are ways you can help:
- Adopt: APA! is offering a “Name Your Own Adoption Fee” on all animals.
- Foster: The shelter is seeking foster homes for a minimum of three weeks.
- Donate: Proceeds will fund vans and response teams setting up a staging and triage center at the heart of the disaster zone, along with an expanded stockpile of preventatives, PPE and additional supplies.
If you would like to donate, click here.
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