Deadly shootings within HEB: a witness wants answers

AUSTIN, TX – FOX 7 Austin is learning more about Friday’s deadly shooting at HEB near Parmer Lane and Canyon Ridge Drive.

An eyewitness now wants to share what he saw and his concerns about what happened, but he asked not to give his name.

“I have lived in this community for almost 17 years and this has never happened,” the witness said. “I go to this HEB two to three times a week.”

Now he even finds it difficult to leave his house.

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“I’m still shaken,” he said. “I don’t know exactly when I’ll be able to… I wanted to go to my gym, I wanted to make my usual Sunday visit to the Goodwill, and I don’t even want to take the road much less on this road. I don’t want to seeing this parking lot. It was difficult.

He was in the self-checkout line Friday afternoon at HEB. Little did he know that the police were already on their way to a trespassing situation that would turn deadly.

“What we heard was about six or seven gunshots,” he said. “It wasn’t one gunshot, it was several gunshots and it’s about four p.m. The supermarket was packed… an HEB employee said, ‘Don’t worry, it’s over. ‘is the guard who fired after being assaulted or attacked.’ It’s over, it’s over.'”

He then took out his camera to record what appeared to show a security guard standing next to a man on the ground.

Austin police have not confirmed whether the security guard fired the shots.

“Then he kind of leaned over and I think he handcuffed him,” he said. “Then he stood up, then he put his foot on his chest, then he stood there and then released his foot.”

Police said the man who was shot died at the hospital hours later.

“I keep thinking that this person who was there, who I was there, who I was watching, was living their last moments,” he said.

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48 hours after all that, he still had so many questions.

“To what extent has de-escalation occurred? he said. “Who was he? What are they guarding? What is a weapon for?”

According to him, these answers will help this community move forward.

“For everyone’s sake, there needs to be full transparency, in the interest of everyone involved.”

FOX 7 Austin reached out to Austin Police and HEB again on Sunday for more information.

HEB responded and stated that “this incident involved a third party security officer, not an HEB employee. HEB continues to work closely with local law enforcement on this matter. Any additional details will come from HEB. order.”

At Friday’s news conference, police said they plan to release more information; however, they have not yet named the deceased.

After the shooting, police arrested one person for questioning.