Cedar Park DA, Police Investigate Officer Involved Shooting
The officer who shot and killed a robbery suspect in Cedar Park Friday night has been moved to administrative duties pending an investigation of the shooting, a standard procedure in such cases. Cedar Park policy dictates that officer-involved shootings are investigated by the District Attorneys Office, reportsthe Austin American Statesman.
Investigator Randy Traylor with the district attorney's office and prosecutor Robert McCabe also responded to the scene of the shooting Friday night, District Attorney John Bradley said Saturday. Bradley said he created the policy when he became district attorney so an outside agency can assist in deadly force investigations, which range from an officer firing a gun without hitting anyone to fatal shots.
Federal Trial for Gulf Oil Spill Disaster Set to Begin Monday
A U.S. District Court in New Orleans will be the site of a three phase trial that could last up to a year, looking at restitution for the victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster,reports the Associated Press.
Barring a last-minute settlement, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier will preside over a three-phase trial that could last the better part of a year. The first phase is designed to identify the causes of the deadly blowout and to assign percentages of fault to the companies involved in the ill-fated drilling project.
Downtown Car Fire Linked to Scuba Gear
A vehicle fire in a parking garage on San Antonio and Third Street has been linked to leaking gas tanks used for scuba diving, reportsthe Austin American Statesman. The fire sent one person to the Brooke Army Medical Center’s burn unit in San Antonio. A witness told KVUE that they heard a loud explosion as the car burned.
Leffingwell Officially Announces Re-Election Bid
Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell officially kicked off his re-election campaign at an event Saturday evening. Leffingwell marked the event with a free screening of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, a movie that was the subject of a online spoof from the Mayor's campaign thatraised a few eyebrows earlier this month. Leffingwell is facing a challenge this year from former City Council member and Save Our Springs Alliance co-founder Brigid Shea.
