Austin Police admitted Monday to critically injuring a black man over the weekend during protests against police brutality, and also injuring an hispanic teenager.
Austin Police during two days of protests fired on crowds using what they call “less lethal ammunition,” which includes bean-bag rounds and rubber bullets.
A 20-year-old protester is now “fighting for his life” after being struck by a bean-bag round, Police Chief Brian Manley told media during a video briefing. He suggested that the man was not intentionally targeted but was standing near another man who hurled a water bottle and backpack at officers guarding the APD headquarters.
The round struck the protester in the head, causing him to fall to the ground, which he also struck with his head, Manley said, without identifying the man.
Other protesters tried to carry the man to the APD headquarters to get him medical assistance, but they too were shot at with non-lethal rounds as they approached officers, according to a video of the incident on social media.
Another victim of the “less lethal” munitions, an hispanic teenager, had just finished a shift at a local sandwich shop when he decided to stop by the protests to watch what was happening.
Brad Ayala, 16, “was shot right in the middle of his forehead,” his sister Valarie Sanchez told the Statesman. “The front of his head is fractured and dented and he had some bleeding.”
The police chief said he was “crushed” to learn of the injuries, adding, “I hope that I will have the opportunity to speak with both men’s families, if they’re open to that.”
“That is not what we set out to do as a police department. That was not what we set out to do this weekend… We were trying to ensure space for our community to come out and practice their protected speech about these issues that we know are so important right now.”
However, Manley also praised the conduct of his officers overall, saying, “I saw our officers perform admirably under the circumstances.”
Austin City Council has scheduled a meeting to discuss police conduct at the protests this weekend. Manley says the incidents are in the preliminary stages of investigation and he asked anyone with video footage to come forward to aid in internal investigations.
