Distraught family members arrived throughout the morning on Wednesday following a shooting in East Austin. The man who was shot by police was identified as Victor Ancira

"He has been here in this house for over 30 years,” said Sylvia Ancira.

Ancira told FOX 7 her uncle had a mental illness and police have been sent to their home on Tanney St. several times to help control him. She doesn't understand why things went so bad this time.

"When somebody calls 911 they call for help being that he has called so many times they been to our house so many times they should have come with more educated people than what they did,” said Ancira.

Crime scene technicians spent Wednesday afternoon collecting evidence. Bullet holes could be seen in the front door as well as in areas around the carport.

Investigators say police units were sent to the neighborhood after receiving a call from a man claiming he just killed his father and brother.


When they arrived they found Victor Ancira in front of the house wielding a pick axe. "We can hear commands given, to please drop the weapon, please drop the pickaxe, multiple attempts to get him to drop a weapon,” said interim police chief Brian Manley.

Chief Manley went on to say that three officers fired non-lethal devices several times in attempts to subdue Ancira. Everything, according to the Chief, was recorded on police video.

"What we see happen is the subject races the pickax and comes at the officers at a rapid pace and officers fire at the suspect and he goes down in the driveway,” said Manley.

Chief Manley says the five officers who fired their guns were compelled to end the situation out of concern for the well-being of the people that Ancira claimed he attacked. It turns out no one inside the house was hurt.

But Manley says what appears to be a suicide note was found. Family members understand it was a dangerous situation Wednesday morning, they just don't understand why lethal force was the solution.

"I think officers these days are getting too trigger-happy, they shoot everybody, it's like some people deserve it and some people don't, in this case he didn't deserve it ... he did not deserve to die like that,” said Sylvia Ancira.

With the eight officers involved in Wednesday's incident, it's believed there are more than a dozen APD officers currently on administrative duty or leave because of use of force. Officials at APD were not able to provide a specific number.