APD releases bodycam footage from shooting that left officer, others dead

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department released video footage Tuesday from officers’ body-worn cameras of a deadly SWAT incident in south Austin that left an APD officer and three other people dead.

The shooting happened in a home in the 9300 block of Bernoulli Drive around 4:15 a.m. Nov. 11. APD Officer Jorge Pastore , two civilians and the suspect died. Another officer was injured but later released from the hospital, according to APD.

APD identified the two civilians who were killed in the incident as Eyman Ahmed Elnemrnassar, a 63-year-old woman, and Riad Mohamed Nassar, a 32-year-old man.

The suspect was identified by APD as 35-year-old Ahmed Mohamed Nassar.

The videos and 911 calls were released on APD’s YouTube page.

Editor’s Note: The below video is police officer body camera video released by the Austin Police Department on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. It contains footage that may be difficult to watch. This video was edited for time and sensitivity.

It started when APD responded to a 911 call reporting a stabbing at the home at 2:49 a.m. APD said officers entered the house in order to help the victims. When they did, the suspect shot at the officers. Those officers retreated from the home and called in SWAT.

SWAT arrived at the scene just after 3 a.m. An exchange of gunfire occurred when SWAT attempted to enter the home. Pastore and another officer were hit by gunfire. According to APD, the officer-involved shooting occurred at approximately 4:15 a.m.

ATCEMS evacuated the injured officers to Dell Seton Medical Center where Pastore died.

According to the Austin Police Association memorial website, this was the first time an Austin police officer was shot and killed on duty since 2012.

It is standard practice for APD to release bodycam footage of officer-involved shootings to the public 10 business days from the shooting.

Honoring APD Officer Jorge Pastore

First responders and the Austin community lined the streets for Pastore’s funeral procession on Nov. 17.

The procession traveled throughout Austin, starting in west Austin and ending at Circuit of the Americas Boulevard for a public visitation and funeral service.

Pastore was awarded the Medal of Valor “for displaying exceptional bravery and courageous action, risking life for serious bodily injury while in the performance of duty. In addition, a Purple Heart for his death resulting from a suspect’s actions in the line of duty under honorable circumstances with valor,” Interim Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson said.

‘Knowing they need to go in and save someone’s life,’ another office on scene walks through bodycam video

“It brings back a lot of what happened,” incoming president of the Austin Police Association Michael Bullock said when KXAN spoke with him a few hours after the department released the bodycam videos and 911 calls from Nov. 11. “A lot for our department, and it’s tough for officers.”

Bullock explained that while the department has protocols for different scenarios, crime scenes are “dynamic,” and during this response – when officers first approached the home in question, decisions were made based on what they knew in that moment.

“For the officers that initially arrived, they’re the ones that have to make that decision, right?” he said. “There’s no ultimate command decision that forces an officer to go in there, it’s an officer’s own sense of duty and them knowing what they’re job is, knowing they need to go in to save someone’s life.”

Bullock said he and the other officers who responded are still asking “what if?” but he said he’s proud of the officers for not hesitating.

“Officers are humans too,” he said. “Seeing that, it’s obviously limited footage. But I still firmly believe our officers did an amazing job. I wish the outcome had been different, as do each one of them. But they did everything they could to get to a successful outcome. In the end that wasn’t the case, but every effort was made.”

Why the “on hold” recording came on during the 911 call

In the 911 call from the incident that APD released, after dispatching police – the operator tells the caller to “hold for the ambulance.”

Then there’s a dial tone, followed by the “on hold” recording for Austin-Travis County EMS stating “You have reached Austin-Travis County EMS, do not hang up, please hold for the next available call-taker.”

An APD source familiar with the intricacies of emergency communications said that happened when the 911 operator transferred the original call to EMS. They added that all operators who answer initial incoming calls are police department operators, and when they transfer calls to fire or EMS, the original operator remains on the line throughout the duration of the call so they can then relay that information to police.

As the hold message played, the operator spoke over it saying “Don’t hang up, we’re still on the line, okay?”

The hold message played three times, and an EMS operator picked up the call in about 25 seconds.