Key Takeaways
- Demonstrators in Austin are calling for charges against three officers placed on administrative leave following the July 24 shooting.
- Police said a 911 caller reported a man with a gun, but no firearm was recovered. Officials described the case as a possible “suicide by police,” a claim disputed by friends and activists.
- The Travis County District Attorney’s Office and APD are conducting separate criminal and administrative investigations into the shooting.
Family, friends, and supporters of 17-year-old Anthoneil Williams II are demanding accountability after three Austin police officers fatally shot the Black teen at a neighborhood park.
According to KUT News, more than two dozen people gathered at Wooldridge Square on Tuesday (July 28) before marching to the office of Travis County District Attorney José Garza. Protesters called for the prosecution of Officers Alexis Cruz, Jake Pitcher, and Avery Zucchi, who have been placed on administrative leave following Williams’ death. The DA’s office did not respond to KUT’s request for comment before publication.
According to the Austin Police Department, a 911 call came in at 3:51 a.m. on Friday (July 24) reporting a male with a gun in a parking lot on Baden Lane. The caller told the dispatcher that the person was brandishing the weapon, although released audio captured the caller acknowledging uncertainty about what he saw. Officers arrived within two minutes and found Williams near a community park.
APD claimed that officers repeatedly directed Williams to keep his hands raised. The department’s released bodycam footage shows him lifting his shirt and reaching toward his waistband before Cruz, Pitcher, and Zucchi opened fire at approximately 4:02 a.m. KUT reported that officers fired again when Williams appeared to move after falling to the ground.
Police said officers searched the area for additional threats before providing medical aid. Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services continued life-saving measures, but Williams was pronounced dead at 4:25 a.m.
No firearm was recovered. Per KUT, Police Chief Lisa Davis told the media that investigators instead found a water bottle in Williams’ waistband. APD also confirmed that the 911 call reporting the allegedly armed person was placed from Williams’ own phone.
Davis reportedly used those findings to characterize the incident as a possible “suicide by police.” However, authorities have not publicly established Williams’ state of mind or intent. Davis also said APD had no prior interactions with the teenager.
Williams’ longtime friends rejected the department’s characterization. Ameer Alogaili and Joseph Hernandez told FOX 7 Austin that APD’s explanation was “not believable.” Alogaili remembered Williams as someone who could make others smile, even when they were angry or upset.
During Tuesday’s demonstration, protesters entered the lobby of Garza’s office while chanting for the officers to be jailed. A confrontation with security escalated before Williams’ father intervened and urged demonstrators to step back as additional deputies arrived. Activist Cluren Williams, who is not related to the family, called Davis’ “suicide by police” characterization “really irresponsible” and “dehumanizing.”
Austin officers had prior incidents before the Anthoneil Williams II shooting
Pitcher was involved in a separate May 2025 police shooting. In that case, authorities said a man attempted to flee a traffic stop and reached toward a firearm concealed in his waistband. A Travis County grand jury reviewed the shooting and declined to indict Pitcher or the second officer involved.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis also suspended Pitcher for one day in February after determining that he violated department policy by rear-ending a stopped vehicle during a November 2025 crash. The disciplinary notice stated that Pitcher received three previous reprimands.
Zucchi was driving 51 mph above the speed limit during a March 2025 emergency response when his patrol vehicle was involved in a crash that killed one person and injured several others. APD’s Internal Affairs unit closed its investigation without finding a policy violation, but Austin Police Oversight (APO) objected and recommended that Zucchi receive a written reprimand.
APD’s Special Investigations Unit and the Travis County District Attorney’s Office are conducting a criminal investigation into Williams’ shooting. A separate administrative investigation is being handled by Internal Affairs and APO.