by Michael Adkison, Wed, December 6th 2023, AUSTIN, Texas — It was late Tuesday night, stretching into Wednesday morning when law enforcement began to confirm a series of shootings across Central Texas were committed by a single suspect...
Taking into consideration that that confirmation did not come into the evening, some Austin-area residents told CBS Austin they were concerned about a lack of communication from law enforcement officials after each of the incidents, particularly as it pertains to the suspect, at the time, being at large.
Texas House Democrat Vikki Goodwin, who represents part of Austin, publicly expressed concerns with the communication throughout the string of violence on Tuesday.
"That's our job, is to make sure our communities are safe," Rep. Goodwin told CBS Austin in an interview. "Again, they didn't know it was the same shooter, but they also didn't know that it wasn't the same shooter and they could have put out an alert about the South Austin neighborhood, which they neglected to do."
Goodwin specifically cited a statute from the 87th legislature, signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott in 2021, that would permit the Department of Public Safety to send a text warning of an active shooter in a general vicinity, including if requested by local law enforcement like the Austin Police Department.
by: Brianna Hollis, Julianna Russ, Posted: Dec 6, 2023 / 05:42 PM CST, AUSTIN (KXAN) –Several people – including neighbors and a state representative – expressed concerns about law enforcement not issuing some kind of active shooter alert as a suspect allegedly shot and killed four people in Austin Tuesday and injured two officers. Authorities in Bexar County said the suspect also killed his parents before coming to Austin.
“The failure to use the alert system raises questions,” said State Representative Vikki Goodwin (D-Travis County). “There were multiple points in time throughout the day when the alert might have been relevant and might have saved lives.”
Andrea Fisher, a mom of four, said she had hoped for information sooner from law enforcement. She first learned of a gunman in the Circle C neighborhood from her daughter’s cycling coach after police said the suspect shot a cyclist on a nearby trail.
“It would have heightened my awareness to be more proactive quicker,” she said, describing how she may have changed her behavior if she did receive an alert from police.
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AUSTIN (KXAN), by: Erica Pauda, Roo Moody, 3/6/24 — On Wednesday, State Rep. Vikki Goodwin provided more details on new water safety measures in place under Cati’s Act as a way to minimize drownings of children under 12 through stricter water safety measures.
Goodwin and State Sen. Judith Zaffirini hosted a press conference Wednesday morning ahead of spring break to spark a discussion on the importance of Cati’s Act between community leaders, water safety advocates as well as legislators, a news release from Goodwin’s office said.