Anger, frustration and even tears rang through the Wilhelmina Delco Center on Monday as residents spoke out against the city's latest officer-involved shooting which left one dead last month.
On the evening of May 11, 18-year-old Nathaniel Sanders was shot dead by an officer in East Austin. To area residents, the lack of information regarding the circumstances of the shooting highlighted a growing distrust among the Austin Police Department and some city residents.
The 6:30 p.m. meeting was designed to give area residents an update on the pending investigation. The entire city council and the entire APD chiefs of staff atended to take questions from more than 50 guests crowding the arena floor.
Police Chief Art Acevedo said he hopes to have the investigation concluded within 90 days of the initial shooting. In his update, details were slim but Acevedo said the medical examiner is still waiting on a toxicology report of the victim before releasing any information.
In the meantime, APD has launched two investigations into the shooting to determine whether officer Leonardo Quintana acted lawfully when approaching Sanders. Both a criminal investigation spearheaded by APD and the Travis County District Attorney's office and an internal investigation are being conducted.
According to Acevedo's timeline, the investigation, which is entering its third week, should finish late July or early August.
"We have to get the investigation done," Acevedo said. "We're committed to doing in in 90 days."
A grand jury will then determine the findings of the investigation.
Despite the update, many questions remained unanswered.
Controversy surrounds the case as two of three dashboard cameras placed in patrol cars, including Quintana's, were inexplicably turned off during the time of the shooting.
"We have a patterned history of police violence in Austin," said Rudy Malveaux, an East Austin resident who watched Sanders grow up. "I hate going to these meetings, it's morose."
Malveaux addressed both Acevedo and city council members on what he called a systemic problem within the city's police department.
"The fact that every year a person of color always seems to get shot by the police," Malveaux said. "When these meetings become routine, then we know we have a problem."
The latest meeting of this kind was to address the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Daniel Rocha in 2005.
Many at Monday's meeting criticized the police's procedure on the night of the shooting which included letting Sander's body remain neglected for hours while police secured the area. Others criticized the department's use of cameras and called on Acevedo to releasethe contents of the third camera that documented the events of that night.
Acevedo personally apologized to Sander's family early in the meeting for letting their son's body remain unattended.
"From the bottom of my heart, I apologize," Acevedo said. "I was at the scene and I should have done a better job of processing that scene. It was not meant as a disrespect."
Acevedo said he could not comment on the type of penalties Quintana could face for having his camera off that night, as the department looks at each case on an individual basis and does not have general consequences for such an incident.
Rudolph Williams, president of the Central East Austin neighborhood association, said the distrust and frustration directed toward APD is deeply rooted and transcends the May shooting. The distrust, Williams said, lies in racial tensions that have not eased for generations.
"Even if the cop followed the procedure, that does not mean the procedures are right," he said.
For Williams, the distrust of APD in his neighborhood is compounded by the lack of resources and opportunity made available to residents. Lack of resources means youth get trapped in cyclical crime and he said some youths fear for their lives.
"We need jobs! We need training to get viable jobs," Williams said. "We need someone not to look at prior records. It's like we are branding them for life. I hate saying this, but until white kids start getting shot, the police isn't going to care."
