A spate of violence shook Austin on Thursday as at least three people were stabbed in a popular bar district and one man was shot dead at a homeless camp.
On Thursday, January 23 at about 12:30 a.m., police officers responding to a call discovered a dead man lying in front of a tent in a homeless camp.
According to an APD news release, witnesses told homicide detectives that the victim had come to visit someone in the camp when he approached the suspected perpetrator, Danny Wing, extending a handshake.
“Without warning, Wing produced a handgun and shot the male in the upper torso. The male fell to the ground. Wing then stood over the male and shot him again.” A murder warrant was issued for the 61-year-old Wing, who was later arrested by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force.
At a media briefing near the scene of the crime, APD Officer Bino Cadenas said that the homeless camp was located near the intersection of St. Elmo and Todd Lane. It had only “two tents” and was “fairly new.”
Stabbings on 6th Street
The next night, as many as five people suffered stab wounds when a homeless woman began randomly attacking passersby.
Chief Brian Manley recounted at a press briefing that the first victim was with a group of friends heading to 6th Street. “They had taken a rideshare, got out of the vehicle on 7th Street and were walking to 6th Street when the suspect was walking in the opposite direction. It does not appear there was any interaction, or any conversation, or anything, but merely as the suspect passed the group, she turned around, went to the victim and struck her in the back of the head.”
“This was witnessed by the friends, and the victim herself also witnessed and was able to give a description of what had happened.”
Next a very similar incident took place at the 500 block of E. 6th Street. A female victim reported standing outside on the sidewalk when someone came up and struck her from behind, Manley said. “She said she was struck in the head by something that felt like a solid object and she was able to see the suspect run from the scene. The victim did also have a laceration to her head that was bleeding as well.”
“The victim in this case recognized the suspect as a local homeless person that frequently hung around outside of a business that she works at in the downtown area.”
Around the same time officers were dispatched to E. 6th Street and Red River Street, on a report of a third female victim, who also suffered lacerations to her shoulder and wrist. In this case the victim said that the suspect approached her and told her to “be quiet,” before stabbing her.
In a later press statement, the Austin Police Department described the suspect as a “transient,” identified as Raecala Morris, age 33.
Officers identified and located the suspect with the help of surveillance cameras in the area. They located her outside of the ARCH homeless shelter with a knife that they believe was used in all three of the attacks.
“The suspect in this case has confessed, but she has confessed to stabbing five people,” Manley said. This raises the possibility that two other individuals who were stabbed have not come forward.
That is confirmed in part by police surveillance footage, he added.
Governor Decries ‘Lawlessness’
Governor Greg Abbott responded to news of the stabbings in an afternoon press release. He said, “City of Austin leaders have allowed lawlessness throughout the capital city that is resulting in violence against Austin residents, including those who are homeless. Last night’s tragedy that left three injured is just the most recent instance of this violence.”
“This rise in violence has corresponded with the revocation of the camping ban that the Austin City Council passed in June. Public endangerment and murder can no longer be tolerated because of the actions—and inactions—by city officials. Mayor Adler and the City Council should reinstate the camping ban and restore the rule of law in Austin. The city’s gamble on these reckless policies has been a loser and must end now.”
The Austin Police Association also has joined in criticizing city policies, saying there is a shortage of police officers. Last weekend the association said that “the Austin City Council has Austin Police so short-staffed they’re dispatching on-call homicide, robbery, and other detectives to staff road closure barricades.”
On the other hand, critics say that the violence is unconnected to city policies on public camping, and they point out that Abbott doesn’t tweet or make statements every time a non-homeless person commits a crime.
Mayor Steve Adler said, “It’s misleading and it’s harmful to equate people experiencing homelessness with being criminals. It’s like saying that immigrants are rapists.”
Service providers for the homeless also worry that Abbott’s comments could jeopardize public support for charitable programs for the homeless, according to a recent report in the Austin American-Statesman.
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