Three others left dead, another officer injured but stable
By Austin Sanders, 7:44PM, Sat. Nov. 11, 2023
Senior Police Officer Jorge Pastore (Images via Austin Police / Getty Images)
An Austin police officer was killed in the line of duty Saturday morning, following a 911 call that turned into a deadly SWAT standoff which left three other people dead.
A second officer was injured during the encounter, and is in stable condition at the Dell Seton Medical Center, according to a media briefing provided by Austin Police Department officials.
Austin Police Department Interim Chief Robin Henderson identified the fallen officer as Jorge Pastore, a 2019 graduate of the Austin Police Academy who became commissioned as an officer in 2020. Pastore patrolled Central and South East Austin while also serving on SWAT and the department’s Special Response Team. Pastore is survived by his wife, two stepsons, parents, and two sisters.
In her post identifying Pastore, Henderson wrote, “My heart is heavy today. Please help me and our APD family pay tribute to SPO Jorge Pastore for his brave & heroic actions. Sir, we’ll take it from here.”
The actions Henderson referenced in her post were undertaken during a 911 call that came in at 2:49am from a home in the 9300 block of Bernoulli Drive; the caller said she was being stabbed. Minutes later, officers arrived. A third person escaped the home and told officers the assailant was still inside and armed with a knife.
An hour later, around 4am, officers with APD’s SWAT team arrived and forced their way into the home. A shootout ensued, resulting in the death of Pastore and the injury of the second officer. After the shooting, officers found the assailant and two hostages dead, but it is unclear if any were killed in the shootout.
Leaders throughout the city and county began mourning the death of Pastore – the first APD officer killed in the line of duty since Officer Jaime Padron was fatally shot in 2012. Mayor Kirk Watson visited the injured officer at Dell Seton early this morning. Later, in a post on X, the mayor wrote “My heart and the hearts of Austinites are broken this morning. This is a horrible moment for our city and those who protect us.”
This is a developing story.
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