Suspect accused of shooting officer, woman near Zilker was in and out of jail, court records say

Editor’s Note: The above video is from a Wednesday press conference hosted by the Austin Police Department.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Brandon Thompson, who police believe shot an officer and a woman near Zilker Park Wednesday morning, has two previous Travis County jail sentences and several previous arrests, according to online court records. A source with the Austin Police Department confirmed with KXAN Thompson is experiencing homelessness.

The officer is expected to survive, and during a press conference Wednesday, Police Chief Lisa Davis said “I don’t think it’s looking positive,” for the woman who was shot. Thompson is in custody at a local hospital.

Currently, Thompson faces two charges:

• Attempted Capital Murder of a Peace Officer
• Burglary of a Residence

Thompson was booked on a $500,000 bond for the capital murder charge and $100,000 for the burglary charge, an APD source told KXAN.

Davis said the officer – now identified as Senior Police Officer Adam Reinhart – pulled out his gun and returned fire after Thompson shot him. Thompson ran off after the shooting, and was ultimately shot by a homeowner near Barton Hills Elementary when police said Thompson entered the homeowner’s property.

Thompson’s criminal history

Thompson’s court records show arrests dating back to 2020 – as well as multiple instances of charges getting declined or dismissed. His first sentence in Travis County was a 30-day sentence for a misdemeanor drug charge in 2021.

But months before that arrest, the District Attorney’s Office (handles felony charges) rejected deadly conduct charges and the County Attorney’s Office (handles misdemeanor charges) dropped resisting arrest charges. According to court records, the felony charges were related to an incident where Thompson was accused of shooting out of a tent over people’s heads under an overpass at Ben White and West Gate Boulevards. The misdemeanor charges stemmed from an incident with a stolen rental truck.

According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, he was arrested in Gainesville on evading arrest and drug charges shortly after he was released from his first Travis County sentence. The Department said his sentence began in October 2021 and he was released to parole in March 2023.

On July 24, 2023, he was arrested after making an illegal left turn and crashing a stolen motorcycle on South Lamar Boulevard. Police had tried to detain him a week prior when they got a license plate reader hit on the stolen motorcycle. APD said Thompson led officers on a two-mile chase, but police had to call off the pursuit because it became too dangerous.

Those two cases got 1245’d into a June 2024 arrest where he pleaded guilty in a different stolen motorcycle case, online court records state. When a case is 1245’d, that means a defendant admits guilt to other charges during court proceedings for a separate offense. He was sentenced to a year in jail.

KXAN will update this story after we speak with prosecutors.