Oct 22, 2024
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Four people have been killed in Austin over the course of the last week, according to the Austin Police Department (APD). On Monday, Oct. 14, APD responded to a double homicide on Burton Drive in the Riverside neighborhood. Officers found two people dead in an apartment complex parking lot. Two days later, police found a 20-year-old dead near an apartment complex about a block away. Burton Drive is less than one mile long, and is a primarily residential street full of different apartment homes. PREVIOUS: 3 people killed on same southeast Austin street within one week Police are now investigating a third homicide, this one in northeast Austin -- and also at an apartment complex. A teen girl is dead, APD said. A law enforcement source told KXAN the victim was 16 years old. "When this does happen we have to take a look is there something going on," said Sgt. William Beck, when we asked him about how APD monitors crime at apartment complexes. "And what we have seen is that there's no continuing threat to the community, these are all isolated incidents." Each of last week's Burton Drive cases were different. The double homicide was a family violence case, and a new search warrant indicates the death of 20-year-old Keshawn Cage stems from some sort of dating-related violence. So Beck said there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer. "Depending on the size of the apt complex, it can be almost like a small town," describing the ecosystem of crime at apartment complexes. Following last week's homicides on Burton Drive, "you're going to see more cops on that street, particularly in the evening," Beck said. Additionally, according to a search warrant for last Wednesday's homicide, APD's South Metro Tactical Team specifically addresses high crime areas in Austin, including Burton Drive specifically. One of the investigators involved in the case said they are "familiar with and can identify many of the subjects who are known to frequent and commit violent crimes in the area of 2100 Burton Drive," and therefore was able to identify people in the area around the time Cage was killed. Beck said the goal with getting through to crime-ridden complexes is taking the work a step further than providing extra patrols. "Officers in that area will reach out to apartment management, or apartment management will reach out to us, and we will offer security survey assessments, attend community meetings, do education. For instance, this is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and we want to be sure to highlight issues with domestic violence," he said. Beck added that officers have offered these services to residents in the Burton Drive area, but so far, community members have not wanted to engage with the offer. He said another limitation the department faces is a short-staffed police force.
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