AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the trial begins Tuesday for the man accused in the June 2021 mass shooting on Sixth Street, town continues work on a security initiative launched in response to the occasion.
Police consider De’ondre White opened hearth into crowds following some form of confrontation between two teams, killing one particular person and injuring greater than a dozen others.
“My heart goes out to the family of the gentleman who passed away,” District 9 Council Member Zo Qadri mentioned. “If you go out for a night of fun and enjoyment with friends and family, you should be able to come home at the end of the night, and that wasn’t the case with this.”
According to court docket data, White and a bunch of pals drove to Sixth Street from Killeen once they encountered a rival group of males they knew from Killeen. Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza mentioned prosecutors consider De’Ondre White was the one shooter.
Police mentioned the sufferer, Douglas Kantor, was an harmless bystander.
In response to the shooting, former Council Member Kathie Tovo launched the Safer Sixth Street initiative. It handed in March 2022.
Since then, town has, amongst different issues:
- Installed extra HALO cameras in the leisure district
- Created a crucial incident coaching program for bars
- Established a primary responder staging space
- Improved avenue lighting
In a June replace on the venture, town famous “law enforcement and policing are critically important for a safe Sixth Street… but policing along isn’t sufficient,” so the principle focus now could be on public area design, bar operator partnerships and numerous downtown actions.
“Making 6th street safer, more accessible, more family friendly,” Qadri mentioned. “I think that will help a lot with revitalizing the area.”
According to the newest replace, town continues to be exploring methods to enhance the streetscape to discourage late-night crowds from congregating in the center of the road.
According to agenda paperwork, Austin City Council is about to approve adopting the 2024 East Sixth Street Public Improvement District Services and Assessment plan, which incorporates about $85,000 in funding, 40% of which is able to go in direction of the next public security elements.
- Coordinating with APD and SXSW to tackle “negative impacts from festival crowds”
- Researching greatest practices on addressing panhandling
- Monitoring particular occasions, barricade plans
- Coordinating with the Downtown Austin Alliance on security partnerships
- Addressing crowd management throughout festivals
