Police body-worn camera footage released Monday shows two Austin police officers trying to force their way into a North Austin apartment before one of them shot and killed a man who attacked a woman last month.
Officer Cody Schulz shot and killed 48-year-old Ensel Maclare-Urgelles on May 27 after he and Officer Alexis Cruz entered the apartment. Although Cruz did not shoot Maclare-Urgelles, Austin police said they released the footage from his body camera because it provided a “clearer picture” of the incident.
Police responded to the complex after a 911 caller reported ongoing domestic violence between Maclare-Urgelles and an unidentified woman around 1:30 a.m. The caller said he heard arguments, glass breaking and objects being thrown for about 10 minutes, a police press release said. Another 911 caller reported hearing a woman screaming for help and a man screaming. They said the violence spread to the apartment’s patio and then back into the residence. The officers’ body cameras captured muffled screams as they approached the apartment.
Bodycam footage shows Cruz and Schulz going to the apartment around 1:48 a.m. Upon arrival at the residence, officers knocked and announced their presence in English and Spanish, but received no response. The video shows Cruz and Schulz taking turns kicking the front door.
The footage cuts off before the apartment is broken into. Citing Texas law, the Police Department said it did not release the footage of the shooting because it was recorded in a private space.
According to the news release, when Cruz and Schulz opened the door around 1:49 a.m., they saw another locked door and a forced entryway. While in another room in the apartment, they saw Maclare-Urgelles “actively stabbing” an unidentified woman.
The press release said Schulz fired his gun at Maclare-Urgelles to save the woman’s life. The police then launched a rescue operation and took the woman from the apartment.
At approximately 1:54 a.m., Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and provided medical aid to both Maclare-Urgelles and the victim, who suffered multiple stab wounds.
Both were taken to local hospitals with life-threatening injuries. The woman has already been discharged from the hospital. Maclare-Urgelles died in hospital at 3:05 a.m. the same day.
He was the only person who suffered gunshot wounds. According to the press release, no bystanders or officers were injured during the shooting.
As per Austin Police protocol, Schulz is on administrative leave. The Austin Police Department will conduct two investigations into the shooting: the criminal investigation will be handled by the Special Investigations Unit and the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, and the police conduct will be investigated by the Internal Affairs Unit and the Office of Police Oversight.