Austin records highest number of murders since 1985

Austin's homicide count jumped up to 55 for the year, with three homicides under investigation from this week alone, putting 2021 as the highest year for murder cases in almost 40 years.

After an already record-breaking year of homicides in 2020—48 cases total—this year's murder count so far is only topped if you go back to 1985, which had 52 homicides for the whole year.

The Austin Police Department most recently responded to a shooting on Saturday afternoon at the 12000 block of the Interstate 35 northbound service road. The victim, a woman who was not identified, had already suffered what appeared to be a gunshot wound when they arrived and was pronounced dead on scene according to officer Matthew Bullock.

Police are currently working leads and believe it could have been a result of road rage, though there is no other information. Police believe it was an isolated incident with no danger to the public but there is no suspect in custody as of yet.

APD responded to two unrelated shootings on Wednesday, for a total of three homicides this week.

The first occurred on the 2100 block of Burton Drive around midnight—officers responded to find a 34-year-old Terry Ray Fisher with gunshot wounds and injuries from being run over by a car, police said in a statement. Fisher was pronounced deceased despite life-saving measures.

The second shooting occurred an hour later on East Riverside Drive and South Pleasant Valley Road, where a 67-year-old man was found dead in a tent. Police did not release any other details.

Editors note: The headline for this story was changed on Sept. 5 at noon to reflect the story accurately.