Bar Fight Turns Deadly In East Austin After 2 Men Are Shot

AUSTIN, TX — Two men were shot — one of them fatally — after objecting to a fellow bar patron's using a female companion to push through a crowded East Austin bar over the weekend, police said Monday.

The incident occurred along the 1100 block of Waller St. on Sunday just after 2 a.m. where police received multiple calls alerting them to multiple shots fired, officials wrote in an advisory. Upon arrival, police found two men suffering from gunshot wounds, including Terrence Cole, 28, who died at the scene. A second man was transported to an area hospital for treatment of his wounds, police said.

In the course of their investigation, police learned the shooting was the culmination of an argument that began inside the Victory Grill at 1104 E. 11th St. as the bar was closing and patrons were making their way out, officials wrote in their report. The argument, police said, may have been over the shooting suspect's being aggressive with his female companion who was used to push through the crowd.

Cole and the other shooting victim had expressed their objection to the suspect's behavior toward his companion, police said, and an argument continued among the three men as they exited the bar. As the two victims walked along north Waller Street post-argument, police said the suspect appeared from behind a parked vehicle and shot at them. The surviving shooting victim was able to run back to the front of the Victory Grill where he collapsed after being shot, police noted.

Police described the suspect as a Black man in his 20s standing at around five feet, eleven inches in height. He may have a tattoo under his right eye and another on his left arm, police added. Cole, a native of Chicago, and the other victim had arrived in Austin just a few days before to visit friends, police noted.

While detectives continue to investigate, they urge anyone with information to contact them at (512) 472-TIPS (8477) or by using the Crime Stoppers App. Tips also can be submitted by downloading APD’s mobile app, Austin PD, free on iPhone and Android. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the suspect, police added.