2 More Officers Tied To Protest-Related Violence In Austin

AUSTIN, TX — Two more officers at the Austin Police Department have been placed on administrative leave stemming from protests calling for law enforcement reform during which participants were injured, police said Thursday.

A police department review showed there were nine protest-related critical incidents between May and May 30, officials outlined:

• 20-5022592 | May 30, 2020 | Approximately 4:30 p.m. | 800 blk of N IH-35 SB Proper.
• 20-5021406 | May 30, 2020 | Approximately 5:10 p.m. | 900 blk of N. IH-35 NB Proper.
• 20-5021197 | May 30, 2020 | Approximately 5:24 p.m. | 800 blk of N. IH-35 NB Frontage.
• 20-5022436 | May 30, 2020 | Approximately 7:12 p.m. | 1000 E. Riverside Dr.
• 20-5023617 | May 31, 2020 | Approximately 1:55 p.m. | 300 blk of W. Cesar Chavez.
• 20-5021405 | May 31, 2020 | Approximately 4 p.m. | 800 blk of N. IH-35 SB Proper.
• 20-5026212 | May 31, 2020 | Approximately 4 p.m. | 800 blk of N. IH-35 NB Proper.
• 20-5021608 | May 31, 2020 | Approximately 11:04 p.m. | 800 blk N. Ih-35 SB Frontage.
• 20-1521593 | May 31, 2020 | Approximately 11:04 p.m. | N. IH-35 SB Frontage/E. 8th Street.

The police department also has identified two more officers who were involved:

• Officer Jeffrey Teng, 4 years with the Austin Police Department.
• Officer Eric Heim, 5.5 years with the Austin Police Department.

The officers have been placed on administrative duty along with another five previously identified, police said.

Related stories:

• Austin Erupts In Protest Over Officer-Involved Killings
• Austin Protest-Related Videos Won't Be Soon Released: Police
  
• Austin PD Reveals The Impact Munitions Used On Police Protesters
  
• Black Lives Matter Rally Draws Thousands In Austin
• Austin City Council Approves $150M Cut To Police Budget

The Austin Police Department (APD) is continuing its investigation into the use of Level 1 less-lethal force during the first weekend of protests on May 30 and May 31. The five officers involved in those incidents are:

• Officer Nicholas Gebhart, 7.5 years with APD.
• Officer Kyu An, 3.5 years with APD.
• Officer Kyle Felton, 1 year with APD.
• Officer Derrick Lehman, 10 years with APD.
• Officer John Siegel, 3.5 years with APD.

These cases remain under investigation, police said, adding that updates and further information will be provided as both become available.

Protests erupted across the nation, including in Austin, over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. Floyd died while face down on the pavement with an officer holding him down by placing a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Protesters in Austin already were galvanized around the issue of police reform following the death of Michael Ramos in South Austin, who was shot during a brief confrontation with officers despite being unarmed.

Such law enforcment led the Austin City Council to subsequently reallocate some $150 million from the police budget in a process now widely known by the misnomer "defunding."