‘Prepared’ homeowner shoots suspect at center of police manhunt, Texas cops say

A man at the center of a police manhunt tried fleeing into a nearby home, then was gunned down by the homeowner, Texas police say.

The suspect, who police have not publicly identified, is accused of shooting a woman and a police officer on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 10, kicking off an hours-long search, Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis said during a news briefing.

It started at Zilker Park, with officers performing a curfew check when they came across a vehicle that had been reported stolen, Davis said. Police called for a tow and one officer stayed with the vehicle while the others continued the curfew check.

Shortly after the tow truck arrived, a man and woman emerged from a nearby treeline, Davis said. The officer ordered them to approach, and they did, with the woman in front and the man walking a few feet behind her, when the officer noticed the man was hiding something in his hand.

Suspicious, he told the man to put his hands where he could see them, according to Davis. At that moment, the man pulled out a gun and shot the woman in the back of the head, then fired at the officer, wounding him, Davis said. The officer returned fire, but the man ran into brush and escaped.

A large search was quickly launched, Davis said, but a 911 call from an area school about a suspicious person led police to the Barton Hills community.

As police converged on Barton Hills, the accused shooter tried to escape by entering a house, Davis said. However, the homeowner was “prepared,” and quickly opened fire on the intruder, shooting him in an arm and a leg, she said.

The man was taken into custody, Davis said.

Officials haven’t said who the woman was that the man shot at Zilker Park. She was taken to a hospital but, Davis said, “it is not looking great for her,” and she isn’t expected to survive.

The man and woman are “relatively young,” both born in the early 1990s, according to Davis.

Davis said she’s grateful the homeowner was able to defend themself without getting hurt.

Speaking with the homeowner, he told her a shelter-in-place warning issued for his community “saved his life,” as the alert gave him time to prepare, Davis said.

The wounded officer is in stable condition, she added, calling him “a hero.”

This story was originally published September 10, 2025 at 3:49 PM with the headline "‘Prepared’ homeowner shoots suspect at center of police manhunt, Texas cops say."