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Desolation late Thursday night outside the Lucky Duck on East 6th street
At 3 a.m. on Thursday, at the end of a 10-hour shift in what used to be a buzzing downtown district, Austin police Detective Ken Casaday went home shocked.
He had only four calls for service, on a night that normally sees up to 40. Emergency 911 calls across the city were down 81%.
"That's crazy," he said. "It's just an absolute ghost town."
Less shocking, Casaday said, was that there were no arrests, citations or warnings for violators of the new "Stay Home, Work Safe" orders, issued Tuesday, requiring local residents to stay home if possible.
Casaday said both experiences indicate a willingness by Austinites to comply with the orders, the violation of which can carry a fine up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail, slightly less than a Class B misdemeanor.
As law enforcement agencies across Texas struggle with how aggressively to enforce stay-at-home orders, Austin's answer is decidedly friendly: Education, citations as a "last resort," and no arrests or related traffic stops.
Austin and Travis County law-enforcement officials say they are counting on voluntary compliance instead.
The county order explicitly encourages the use of a cite-and-release approach. Officials say they have no desire to fill up the jail during a health crisis because it's a high-risk environment.
Nor do officers plan to pull people over randomly to see if they are going somewhere essential, said County Attorney David Escamilla, whose office would handle the citations under the order.
That contrasts with more aggressive enforcement reported in some North Texas cities, where officers are authorized to make arrests and stop drivers to ask for authorization or proof that their travel outside their home is essential.
Escamilla helped write the Travis County order and said he engaged in "tremendous talks" with local officers to avoid that level of enforcement.
"This isn't a lockdown, and this isn't a curfew," he said.
"These orders don't change any of the constitutional requirements," Escamilla said, adding that "reasonable suspicion" is still required. "This isn't an authorization for law enforcement to just be out there stopping people."
Doing so would also put the health of officers at risk for what amounts to a traffic stop, said Casaday, president of the Austin Police Association.
"The less contact the officers have with people [during the health crisis], the better off we are," he said. "There are several people in the department who are being monitored, quarantined at home, to make sure they don't have it. So warning and trying to get compliance through just asking people to cooperate is the best thing."
In fact, Austin police Senior Patrol Officer Katrina Ratcliff said, the department has been discouraging traffic stops of all kinds to lower officers' exposure.
"We were all issued a mandatory mask to wear in case of interacting with someone who may be sick," she said.
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APD is searching for suspect Stephen Broderick.
Austin police lifted the shelter in place order after searching the area around 9600 block of Great Hills Trail near the Arboretum for a 41-year-old man named Stephen Broderick, who they believe is responsible for shooting and ultimately killing three people in Northwest Austin
As of 5 p.m., the suspect is still at large and considered to be armed and dangerous, though police do not believe he is actively targeting anyone else. During a press briefing at 4:45 on Sunday, APD Interim police Chief Joseph Chacon said they are switching the search from the immediate area to a fugitive search as they have exhausted all the leads they currently have.
Chacon confirmed during the briefing that Broderick was a former Travis County Sheriff's Office deputy. Chacon said they will remain on the scene for "several hours" and there were 75 FBI agents on the scene as of the briefing.
APD @Chief_Chacon provides updated media briefing in relation to Great Hills Trail incident. - PIO8 https://t.co/47siNWhARI
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) April 18, 2021
Police believe the victims, who have been identified as two Hispanic women and one Black man, knew their assailant. Chacon said a child was involved but is now safely in police custody. Broderick was described as 5 foot, 7 inches with a medium build and was last seen wearing a gray hoodie, sunglasses and a baseball cap.
"We're very sorry that obviously that this has happened and we continue to try and locate this individual, we are transitioning from a search in this area to a fugitive search and those efforts will continue until this person is located," Chacon said. "I don't want anyone to think that we're packing up and going home. We're going to continue to look for this individual because he continues to pose a threat to this community."
At a 2:30 p.m. press briefing, Chacon said APD responded to a "shoot, stab, hot shot" call on Great Hills Trail and Rain Creek Parkway at 11:46 a.m. to find the three victims with gunshot wounds. APD was joined by the Austin Fire Department. ATCEMS, the local chapter of the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, Department of Public Safety, and the Round Rock Police Department for support.
Though Austin Travis-County EMS originally reported it as an active shooter situation, police now believe the incident was an isolated domestic event.
"This is still an ongoing and active investigation and we do not have this individual in custody yet," Chacon said during the first press briefing. "We would ask if you have your neighbors, phone numbers, call or text them check on them and make sure that they're okay. We are concerned that he might possibly take a hostage and be himself sheltered somewhere waiting for us to leave."
At this time the Great Hills Trail scene is still active. We are still asking residents to shelter in place and report suspicious activity. While a suspect is still at large it appears this is a domestic situation that is isolated and there is no risk to the general public. -PIO8
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) April 18, 2021
Three helicopters and SWAT teams were sent to the area, as well as 18 ATCEMS response assets. According to Austin Police, the incident occurred at an apartment complex near Great Hills Trail and Rain Creek Parkway.
#texasshooting #masshooting Arboretum shooting Austin. pic.twitter.com/SkIsgDoYHt
— Jamie Hammonds (@jamie_hammonds5) April 18, 2021
APD announced at 1:02 p.m. that Loop 360 will be shut down in both directions from Spicewood Springs to 183 due to the incident. The roads will remain closed until law enforcement is able to wrap up the crime scene and units demobilize.
TRAFFIC UPDATE: Loop 360 will be shut down in both directions from Spicewoods Springs to 183 due to ongoing incident. - PIO8
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) April 18, 2021
This is a developing story.
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Formula 1 is returning to Florida for the first time since 1959, announcing that the brand-new Miami Grand Prix will join the calendar in 2022 and Austin will no longer be the only F1 race in the U.S.
Held at the Hard Rock Stadium complex in Miami Gardens, this will be the first race in the Sunshine State in 62 years. With a new track setup, F1 will loop the stadium, home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins.
Excited for @F1 @f1miami @HardRockStadium - a Global Entertainment Destination. This event will bring opportunities for so many and will be world-class. Thank you to @gregmaffei #chasecarey #stefanodomenicali @MayorRHarris @Ogilbert @CommishDiaz @MayorDaniella pic.twitter.com/n6dDDD1cPX
— Tom Garfinkel (@TomGarfinkel) April 18, 2021
The new 3.36 mile circuit has 19 corners, three straights and potential for three DRS zones, with expected top speeds of 198 mph.
Now with two races in the U.S., F1 President Stefano Domenicali said they will avoid having back-to-back events by keeping the Miami Grand Prix separate from the U.S. Grand Prix, which is held at Austin's Circuit of the Americas.
The date of the race has yet to be confirmed, though Domenicali said he expects the first race in a 10-year deal to take place in the second quarter of 2022. Austin's race will take place on Oct. 24 this year.
"The USA is a key growth market for us, and we are greatly encouraged by our growing reach in the U.S. which will be further supported by this exciting second race," Domenicali said.
Miami will mark the 11th race location in the U.S. since the Championship began in 1950: Circuit of The Americas in Austin; Dallas, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Sebring, Florida; Riverside, California; Watkins Glen, New York; Long Beach, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Detroit, Michigan and Phoenix, Arizona. COTA was first opened in 2012.
Domenicali said F1 will be working with the FIA and the Hard Rock Stadium to leave a lasting impact on the community: discounted tickets for residents, a program to support local businesses and a STEM education program through F1 in schools.
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