APD releases videos from fatal south Austin police shooting
On Thursday, the Austin Police Department released body-worn camera footage from the Nov. 15 south Austin police shooting death of 33-year-old Rajan David Moonesinghe.
AUSTIN (KXAN) – On Thursday, the Austin Police Department released body-worn and Ring camera footage from the Nov. 15 south Austin police shooting of 33-year-old Rajan David Moonesinghe.
APD said at about 12:28 a.m., 911 received a call about a man with a gun in the 2200 block of S. 3rd St. The caller said the man seemed to be scared of something inside his own home before pointing his rifle inside and firing.
According to police, an officer arrived and gave Moonesinghe a verbal command to drop the gun before firing his department-approved firearm at Moonesinghe. APD said Moonesinghe was struck and fell to the ground, and the rifle was on the ground at his side.
After not receiving a response from Moonesinghe after he was shot, officers began life-saving measures, according to police.
Austin-Travis County EMS officials arrived at the scene nine minutes later, and Moonesinghe was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Austin Police released a Ring camera video that shows Moonesinghe outside his home with his rifle, pointing it at something off-camera and saying, "Are you sure you want this?" before firing the weapon. In the background you see an officer pull up.
In the video, you can hear police saying to drop the gun a split second before opening fire and shooting Moonesinghe. In a video shown from the perspective of the officer, just seconds after the officer exits the vehicle can you hear the sound of gunfire.
WARNING: The following videos contain graphic content viewers might find disturbing.
DISCLAIMER: Police body-worn camera footage has been edited for time and sensitivity.
The full videos are available on the APD YouTube page.
Man's brother releases statement
Moonesinghe's brother released a statement to KXAN on Dec. 1. Read the full statement below:
“Yesterday, I had the opportunity to view the police footage and security footage of the last minutes of my brother’s life. As difficult as that was, it was an incredibly important step towards finding out the truth of the events leading up to his murder by police on November 15, 2022. The video clearly shows that Raj never threatened the officers, he didn’t even know they were there. I’d encourage everyone to watch the videos being released today to make their own judgments. Thank goodness Raj had his Ring security camera on his porch because, without it, the police would have continued to lie about what happened that night.
“After watching the video, it is evident that the officer who shot Raj did this without identifying himself, without thinking, and before giving my brother a chance to explain who he was and why he was outside. Instead, he arrived without flashing lights or sirens, pulled out an assault rifle, took a hidden defensive position behind a fence 25 yards away, and killed my brother. He began firing before finishing his command to ‘drop your gun’ and continued to fire once Raj had dropped his gun and put his hands up. and continued to fire once Raj had dropped his gun and put his hands up. It’s clear from the security footage that Raj didn’t even know the police officer was there. His last words as he lay on the ground were ‘it wasn’t me.’
“Instead of getting justice for Raj, the Austin Police Department continues with its attempts to cover up what happened. The security footage they released today is an edited version that intentionally removes the interaction that Raj had with his neighbor one minute beforehand where he told her there was someone in his house and yelled into his home, ‘I’m calling the police, get out of my house.’
“It is beyond comprehension that the police acted this way. The police knew he was the homeowner concerned with a potential intruder. They shot first and asked questions later. As an Austinite myself, I’m outraged to think that these are the people tasked with protecting our community.
“Raj was a loving son who took care of our parents financially and the co-founder of a very successful tech company which we moved to Austin in 2018. We ask the City and the District Attorney to do their jobs and hold the officer accountable. Otherwise, these senseless shootings will continue and more innocent people will be shot and killed by Austin police officers.”
Statement from the Moonesinghe's older brother, Johann Moonesinghe
The Moonesinghe family released a statement to KXAN on Nov. 23, writing it would "push" APD for all information related to Moonesinghe's death.