TX - Rajan Moonesinghe, 33, shot and killed by Austin Police

[CrimeDawg123]

APD officer shoots, kills man who was reportedly firing a gun at a home

A man is dead after an officer shot him early Tuesday morning in south Austin, according to the Austin Police Department.

www.kxan.com

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man is dead after an officer shot him early Tuesday morning in south Austin, according to the Austin Police Department. A witness told 911 the man was firing a gun into a home.

APD Chief of Police Joseph Chacon said just before 12:30 a.m., 911 received a call about a man with a gun in the 2300 block of S. Third St. That is near West Oltorf Street.

A witness told 911 the man had a rifle and was pointing it at a home, Chacon said.

Officers arrived at the scene at 12:33 a.m., just as the 911 caller was reporting the man was firing multiple shots into a home.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

APD investigating Officer-Involved Shooting on November 15, 2022 | AustinTexas.gov

Case: 22-3190037

www.austintexas.gov

The Austin Police Department (APD) continues to investigate the officer-involved shooting that occurred on Tuesday, November 15, 2022. At approximately 12:28 a.m., Austin 9-1-1 Communications received a call regarding a man with a gun across the street from 2301 South 3rd Street in the area of 2nd Street and Fletcher Street. The caller stated a man was pointing a rifle down the street. The caller described the man as a white male, wearing a grey robe and dark pants.

One minute later, at 12:30 a.m., APD officers were dispatched to this location. The caller remained on the phone line with Austin 9-1-1 Communications while officers responded to the scene. The caller said the man seemed to be scared of something inside of his own home and was turning the outside lights on and off. The caller said the man was pointing his rifle at the interior of his home. The caller then stated the man just fired into his own home. The caller said the police were on scene and the man fired again. The man who fired the rifle was later identified as Rajan David Moonesinghe. The address where Mr. Moonesinghe was located was later identified as 2216 South 3rd Street.

Two officers, driving separate marked police vehicles arrived at approximately 12:33 a.m., three minutes after the initial call was dispatched. As one of the officers pulled up to the residence, he heard gunshots and realized that he was directly in front of where Mr. Moonesinghe was located. Both arriving officers then drove past the residence. The two officers exited their vehicles and sought cover while Mr. Moonesinghe, who was standing on the porch, continued firing a rifle.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

APD releases videos from fatal south Austin police shooting

On Thursday, the Austin Police Department released body-worn camera footage from the Nov. 15 south Austin police shooting death of 33-year-old Rajan David Moonesinghe.

www.kxan.com

AUSTIN (KXAN) – On Thursday, the Austin Police Department released body-worn and Ring camera footage from the Nov. 15 south Austin police shooting of 33-year-old Rajan David Moonesinghe.

APD said at about 12:28 a.m., 911 received a call about a man with a gun in the 2200 block of S. Third St. The caller said the man seemed to be scared of something inside his own home before pointing his rifle inside and firing.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

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Family members and friends of Rajan Moonesinghe, who was shot and killed by an Austin police officer, are pushing for answers on his death.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

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Family members and friends of Rajan Moonesinghe, who was shot and killed by an Austin police officer, are pushing for answers on his death.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Video of the incident here:

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[NeverPersonal]

I am so upset that Austin LE are saying the cop who did this was justified and "following training". He didn't give RM any time to put the gun down.

 

[Night Watcher]

I am so upset that Austin LE are saying the cop who did this was justified and "following training". He didn't give RM any time to put the gun down.

I agree. I looked at all of the evidence including 911 call, police body cam videos, Ring video and Austin Police Department Facebook page. What is worse is that the Austin PD is investigating the shooting and not a neutral third investigating agency.

 

[bosh]

What strange circumstances. Any evidence of an intruder at his house or was this man going through some sort of mental health episode?

Hmm off to watch the video.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

I am so upset that Austin LE are saying the cop who did this was justified and "following training". He didn't give RM any time to put the gun down.

Totally agree. This is pathetic. I don't know what crisis Mr. Moonesinghe was going through, but this APD officer didn't even finish saying "Drop the gun" before he open fired on him. Apparently APD decided he committed a capital offense. I wish this were a rare occurrence in Austin.

 

[Murphy1950]

Totally agree. This is pathetic. I don't know what crisis Mr. Moonesinghe was going through, but this APD officer didn't even finish saying "Drop the gun" before he open fired on him. Apparently APD decided he committed a capital offense. I wish this were a rare occurrence in Austin.

Doubt he decided anything. Just human reaction. I doubt you've ever been there. I had a gun held to my head twice in my life. Once as a bank teller and again in a dark parking lot. I still feel it resting on my temple 50+years later. Cops are only human. Not saying more training wouldn't be useful, don't know. But not thinking anybody is cool enough to make firm decisions while shots are being fired, you just react, the noise alone is disconcerting....IMO

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Doubt he decided anything. Just human reaction. I doubt you've ever been there. I had a gun held to my head twice in my life. Once as a bank teller and again in a dark parking lot. I still feel it resting on my temple 50+years later. Cops are only human. Not saying more training wouldn't be useful, don't know. But not thinking anybody is cool enough to make firm decisions while shots are being fired, you just react, the noise alone is disconcerting....IMO

The officer clearly did not give him time to drop the gun. If he just reacts like this then he has no business being an officer IMO. This is why officers are trained, trained, trained, and trained again. Cops are human, yes, but they are trained professionals. They are not civilians in a bank or parking lot who have a gun to their head.