AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department identified a man who died after being shot in the chest in east Austin Monday morning. It said in the morning it considered the death “suspicious” and by the afternoon confirmed it was investigating it as a homicide.
Police said the victim and another man were in a “confrontation” that escalated into a shooting in the 8000 block of View Ridge Dr. That’s in a neighborhood near Lake Walter E. Long and the Travis County Expo Center.
APD identified the man who died as Timothy Mota, 45. Officers detained someone earlier on Monday and said in the afternoon they had identified a person of interest. No one has been charged.
Austin-Travis County EMS said it responded to the area for an adult gunshot wound around 1:38 a.m. Medics pronounced one person dead at the scene at 2:05 a.m.
Kaylee Gracia, 12, lives in the neighborhood and woke up to see the investigation taking place outside.
“I woke up, and then I looked through my window and I saw like, a lot of police cars, and I told my dad what’s happening,” she said.
“I feel scared because you don’t know what’s happening. You just wake up to this. It’s not a good thing to wake up to,” Gracia continued.
APD said its officers were called to the area around 1:39 a.m.
Detectives said anyone with information should call (512) 974-TIPS, leave an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip at (512) 472-8477, use the new Crime Stoppers App or email APD Homicide at homicide.apd@austintexas.gov.
This is Austin’s 63rd homicide this year.
