Local arrest tied to judge shooting
Police have made an arrest in Houston of a person in connection with the shooting Friday of a state district judge in Austin, authorities confirmed late Monday.
“The arrest was for unrelated charges,” Austin police said in a statement.
Because of their ongoing investigation, Austin police declined to make any other comments about the person in custody whom they have deemed a “person of interest” in the shooting of Judge Julie Kocurek.
She was last listed in stable condition at an Austin hospital.
The judge was shot Friday night in the driveway of her home in west Austin. Although other people were with her, Kocurek was the only person who was struck by gunfire, Austin police said during a news conference after the shooting.
Citing local law enforcement officials, the Austin American-States-
man said Kocurek probably was targeted by the gunman in retaliation for a case with which she had been involved.
Kocurek is a former prosecutor who was appointed to the bench in 1999 by then-Gov. George W. Bush. She was later elected in her own right to the Austin-based court as a Republican but switched parties in 2006.
Some people who live in the well-to-do neighborhood reported hearing gunfire about 10 p.m. but couldn’t see anything because it was so dark.
Police responded and swarmed the area near Lake Austin, searching both in the air and on the ground for any signs of the assailant.
In 2014, Kocurek made headlines suggesting that comments made by thenGov. Rick Perry following his indictment on accusations of abuse of power could be considered a threat. Perry called his prosecution “a farce” that “will be revealed for what it is, and those responsible will be held accountable.”
According to the Austin American-Statesman, Kocurek said at the time: “I have a duty to make sure that our members of the grand jury are protected. I am defending the integrity of our grand jury system.”