Update: If you are looking for the dashcam video of the shooting or a recent update go to Austin PD Shooting: August Update
Javier Bustos, an officer at the Austin Police Department, asked if we would follow the events of a recent police shooting involving Officer Leonardo Quintana. We agreed with the intent of focusing on the aftermath and investigations that follow an actual police shooting.
Most articles about officer involved shootings focus on the tactics, equipment, and mindset used to survive the physical event of the shooting or other deadly force incident. As Mostly Genius points out in Three Battles, surviving a police shooting is more complex than just physical survival. That is the most important part but officers also have to survive legal, career, and emotional battles as well. These battles continue on long after the shooting and can be just as devastating. Lt. Michael Pigot of NYPD committed suicide because he ordered a TASER shot that caused the death of an EDP. The event became national news and he was stripped of his badge and gun. The emotional toll led him to take his own life.
So to capture the long term effects of this shooting, we have made a webpage that links to many of the ongoing videos and newspaper accounts about Officer Quintana’s shooting. Just like the BART shooting, we will update this page as events unfold so that officers can view it at any time and stay up to date with the facts.
We will follow up with articles every several months updating readers with new developments and discussing significant issues. We hope that studying the events and decisions during and after this incident can be instructive for other departments handling deadly force incidents.
Below are the initial facts, videos, and links from the incident.
Facts of the incident:
- The shooting occurred on Monday, May 11, 2009 at 5am in the Walnut Creek Apartments at 6409 Springdale Road in East Austin.
- The shooter was Officer Leonardo Quintana, an 8 year veteran of Austin PD. The deceased was Nathaniel Sanders II, 18 years old.
- Three days before the shooting while officers were investigating a recent robbery in the same apartment complex, residents notified them of suspects driving a Mercedes-Benz station wagon and firing shots in the air.
- The morning of the shooting, Officer Quintana observed the Mercedes-Benz station wagon. He contacted and detained the driver. Two backup officers arrived.
- Officer Quintana then woke up Sanders who was asleep in the backseat. Quintana stated he observed Sanders make a movement for a weapon. Quintana warned backup officers Sanders was armed and Quintana fired his duty weapon at him, ultimately killing him.
- Sir Lawrence Smith, 21 years old, was woken in the front passenger seat by the shooting. He lunged at Quintana who fired his duty weapon at him, non-fatally striking him.
- Smith was treated at University Medical Center at Brackenridge and is expected to make a full recovery.
- During the investigation a gun was recovered in the vehicle.
Immediate aftermath
- At about 9am local residents formed a crowd and began yelling obscenities and throwing rocks and bottles at officers.
- Eight officers were injured and eight squad cars were damaged.
- Chief Acevedo was on scene and avoided a bottle thrown at him.
- Officers donned riot gear.
- Community leaders and Sanders’ father attempted to calm tensions.
- Officers are criticized for allowing Sander’s body to remain uncovered for 3 hours while waiting for the medical examiner. An officer later covers the body with a blanket.
Background of Quintana and Sanders
Officer Qunitana was an 8 year veteran of Austin PD.
- 100 Club Officer of the Year in 2003
- Received the Superior Service Citation in 2005
- Received the Commander’s Recognition Award in 2007
- Received the CMT Campaign Ribbon
- Employee of the Year finalist in 2008
- Received a 15 day suspension that was later reduced to a written reprimand for a disturbance with his girlfriend in 2006.
Nathaniel Sanders was 18 years old.
- Attended Travis High and graduated from American Youthworks Charter School but did not receive a diploma because he did not pass TAKS.
- Arrested several times. Most recent arrest was for robbery and had just been released from jail Thursday before the shooting.
- At the time of the shooting he was on probation from a 2008 possession of crack cocaine case.
Initial Issues
Video
- Quintana’s squad car video camera was not running.
- Only one of the two backup officers’ video cameras were running.
- Officer involved shootings in 2003 and 2005 also had not been video recorded.
- The Austin American Statesman Editorial Board immediately emphasized that the video recordings are an important independent verification of facts and labels the lack of them troubling.
- Missing record harms police work was written by Austin American Statesman as a second editorial on the Sunday following the shooting.
Gang response
- Ellis Ingram IV is arrested and charged with making a terrorist threat for calling 911 seven times from two cell phones and threatening police officers. During these 911 calls Ingram threatens to kill officers in retaliation for Sanders death because he was a fellow Bloods gang member. The phone calls include false officer down calls and false bomb calls.
- Sanders’ family repeatedly denies he was a gang member.
Racial tensions related to use of force
- The Walnut Creek apartment residents are 73% African American and 20% Latino.
- The Department of Justice had recently investigated Austin PD at the behest of the local NAACP chapter for possible civil rights violations related to use of force. The Justice Department released it’s findings in 2009 and made recommendations for improving use of force reviews by supervisors.
- Austin PD has said they are working to put these recommendations in place.
Videos
Tense moments at shooting scene
Father reacts to shooting
Chief Acevedo talks to reporters at scene
Interview with Austin PD Chief Acevedo and Local NAACP President Nelson Linder
Other Links
Man fatally shot by police officer by Austin American Statesman
Neighborhood leaders urge calm by The Austin American Statesman
Police chief hopes investigation will be completed in 60 to 90 days by The Austin American Statesman
Austin Police say large gang associated with threats by CBS 42
Acevedo’s community relationships have first test by Austin American Statesman
KEYETV News Reports on Nathaniel Sanders Shooting Overall timeline of events with video clips by CBS 42
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I applaud SpartanCops for the very professional presentation of a focused public information collection, and the courage to help a fellow officer who seems to have acted reasonably, but is in jeopardy for doing so.
Most veteran Warrior-Protectors are aware of miscarrages of justice cases where, in spite of reasonable and noble actions by an officer, administrators and polititicians succumb to special interest group protests, from those who would defend thugs rather than support an officer acting correctly to protect them.
Thanks for being there SpartonCops!