Two people held by the kidnapper, as well as an officer from the special SWAT unit, died in Austin, Texas during the operation to free the hostages. The kidnapper is also dead.
The shooting took place in Austin, Texas. One of the people detained in the apartment managed to escape and call the emergency number at 2:49 am local time. She reported that she had been stabbed.
As Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson explained, the first officers arrived on the scene twelve minutes later, where they learned about two people being held. The injured woman, who escaped and reported the situation, was found in the neighborhood by emergency services and taken to hospital.
“It was a very tragic day”
During a press conference, the police chief said that the policemen were shot at and then withdrew from the apartment without returning fire.
– Because the barricaded suspect was armed and had two hostages, SWAT (an American military police unit trained to intervene in particularly dangerous situations – ed.) was called to the scene – Henderson described.
She added that after 4:11 a.m. the officers entered the apartment, this time returning fire. As a result of their actions, the kidnapping suspect was killed. During the operation, two policemen were shot. One of them, Jorge Pastore, an officer with three years of experience, died in hospital. The second officer’s condition is stable.
Two hostages were found dead in the apartment. It is unclear how they died. “It was a very tragic day, a very tragic event for everyone involved,” Henderson said.
According to the media, for the first time in ten years a police officer died in the line of duty in this city. – My heart and the hearts of the residents are broken. This is a terrible moment for our city and those who protect us, said Mayor Kirk Watson.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the “tragedy is a reminder of the great risk law enforcement officers take every day to serve and protect their communities.”
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