Police ID man killed in Austin shooting; 7 cops put on leave

Austin police have identified a man who was fatally shot during an officer-involved shooting on Monday as 23-year-old Thomas Vincent Alvarez.

Police also named seven officers who were placed on administrative leave after opening fire on Alvarez as Matthew Henion, DeAndre Wright, Nicholas Grebhart, Benjamin Rogers, Robert Brady, Rafael Rosales and Khristof Oborski.

Henion and Wright, both six-year veterans of the force, and Grebhart, a five-year veteran, are assigned to the department’s Organized Crime Unit.

Rogers and Brady, both four-year veterans, work on Southeast/Southwest Patrol.

Rosales and Oborski, both 17-year-veterans, are assigned to the Special Operations Unit.

The shooting happened at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday after Lewis led officers on a chase that ended at an apartment complex in the 4900 block of Edge Creek Drive, police officials have said.

At 6 p.m., he pulled up to the apartment’s entrance gate and officers saw him holding the gun to his head, interim Police Chief Brian Manley said.

Police ordered him to drop the gun but he didn’t comply, Manley said. Minutes later, the suspect tried to ram the gates into the apartments but was unsuccessful in getting through, the chief said.

Police called negotiators and a SWAT team to try to resolve the situation, Manley said.

Police said Lewis pointed a gun at them two times before officers opened fire around 6:42 p.m.

Lewis was still moving inside the vehicle after the first volley, and negotiators continued to try to get him to drop his weapon. A few minutes later, officers fired again, after which Lewis stopped responding to commands.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities have still not confirmed whether Lewis died from the officer’s gunfire.