Man shot to death by three Austin police officers; lawyers call for justice

Austin, Texas – Lawyers for Anthony Marquis Franklin call for justice.

“Mr. Franklin did not deserve to die,” said Bakary Sellers, an attorney with the Strong Law Firm.

It’s as simple as it is for the Franklin family’s lawyers who are fighting for justice after Franklin was shot and killed by three Austin police officers.

“We believe it was murder,” said Nathaniel Mack, an attorney at Mack law firm.

Shortly before midnight on January 15, police were looking for a man with a gun after several 911 calls reporting someone had been shooting near Lavaca and Fifth Street. Police said three officers who were searching the APD SUV saw Franklin, 30, who they claimed matched the shooter’s description.

In the footage, an unidentified man jumps over a ledge, followed by Franklin with a gun. That night, Franklin, the father of three daughters, was shot dead.

“You don’t shoot a man in the back, especially when he’s on the ground. This is exactly what happened,” said Harry Daniels, an attorney at Harry Daniels law firm.

Lawyers for Franklin’s family call his death unjustified.

“His gun didn’t fire. He didn’t draw his gun. He did not pose a threat to the officers. times,” Daniels said.

The police say they gave Franklin several commands to drop the weapon. The APD claims that Franklin disobeyed and fled the police. Franklin’s lawyers are wondering where the evidence is that Franklin was ever a shooter.

“We have not seen any evidence that he was the shooter. There is nothing in the protocol. The simple fact is that you have three daughters who no longer have a father, and with all due respect, guns are quite common in the Texan community, and carrying guns on your person is not a capital crime,” said Sellers.

The family wants justice, and it comes in the form of a fair trial for the officers. Something, according to lawyers, should have been handed over to Franklin.

“We believe that these officers committed a crime. Arrest them, charge them, give them the same fair treatment under the law as [Franklin] should have received,” Sellers said.

Lawyers will file a lawsuit in the next few weeks.

What happened on January 15 when Anthony Franklin was shot dead

On January 27, the APD released six materials, including all three body camera footage of each of the officers involved.

The following videos have been released:

To view this material, click here.

The APD has provided timestamps for events that occurred prior to the shooting involving the officer:

At 11:34 pm, 9-1-1 received a call with several people on the telephone line. A woman on the phone said that a man was shooting in the area of ​​Lavacha and 5th streets. A man who called the same 9-1-1 phone said someone had been shot at.

At 11:36 p.m., another 9-1-1 caller described a chaotic scene with people running on the 300 block of West 6th Street. Officers responded to the area as information was provided by Austin’s 9-1-1 communications.

At 23:35, the first law enforcement officers arrived at the scene and began searching for a man with a machine gun. 9-1-1 operators received information from 9-1-1 callers and relayed a description of the suspect to officers over the police radio. Officers continued to search the area, gathering information about the suspect’s description and last known direction of travel. The suspect was described as a dark-skinned male, of a slim build, between 6’1″ and 6’2″, with “Afro hair” and dressed in all dark.

Around 11:38 p.m., a man injured by the shooting was found and began talking to the officers. The victim had a gunshot wound incompatible with life. The officers treated the victim when the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS) was called to the scene. The injured man was taken by ATCEMS to a local hospital where he was treated and discharged.

Police continued searching for the suspect in the shooting.

At around 11:43 p.m., three APD officers driving an APD SUV in the area saw a man, later identified as 30-year-old Anthony Marquis Franklin, who matched the shooter’s description.

When the officers began to approach and call for Franklin, they saw him with a pistol. The officers shouted “gun” to each other. The officers then gave Franklin several commands to drop his weapon.

Franklin disobeyed the orders of the officers and began running west on West 6th Street and then north on Colorado Street. One of the officers jumped out of the SUV and began to run after Franklin on foot. The other two officers continued to follow them in the SUV. The officers verbally ordered Franklin to drop his gun and show his hands, but again Franklin did not comply with the command of the officers.

As the pursuit of Franklin approached 601 Colorado Street, he ran out onto the front steps of the building. An unidentified man was also on the porch, and at this point in the investigation it is believed that he was not involved in this incident. The unidentified man quickly jumped off the porch with his hands up and ran away from the scene.

The officers continued to order Franklin to show his hands. Franklin also jumped off the porch and fell to the ground. Seconds later, all three officers fired department-issued firearms and wounded him.

Franklin threw the gun towards a car parked on the street next to him. The gun landed right in front of Franklin. The officers told Franklin to “don’t move” and he obeyed these commands. Once the officers secured Franklin’s consent, they approached him, although the gun was still by his side.

Officers captured Franklin and searched him for additional weapons. The officers immediately began rescue operations.

Law enforcement officers sought medical attention at the scene. Franklin was taken by ATCEMS to a local hospital with serious injuries and later died from his injuries.