Private security officer shot, injured in Topgolf parking lot in north Austin
The security company said two officers issued a trespass warning to a group for disorderly conduct and public intoxication around 10:30 p.m.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — One security officer was shot early Sunday morning while working security at Topgolf in north Austin, according to private security company Texas Public Safety and Investigations.
The security company said two officers issued a trespass warning to two men for disorderly conduct and public intoxication around 10:30 p.m. Officers made contact with a man who was urinating on a wall and asked him and another person to leave the property, which they eventually did.
The male subjects returned around midnight with one or two other men and began assaulting the officers, according to the company. One of the officers tried to call for backup, but their radio was "smacked out of his hands."
The company said there was a physical struggle, and one of the men shot one of the officers from behind. The uninjured officer, who is also an emergency medical technician, began life-saving measures.
The officer was taken to a local trauma center around 12:15 a.m. with serious, life-threatening injuries, according to Austin-Travis County EMS. The company said the officer was in serious but stable condition as of Sunday morning.
The company's security and public safety director, Nicholas Teague, said the Austin Police Department was investigating the shooting. He believes the subjects are still at large as of Sunday afternoon.
"I encourage these individuals who perpetrated this offense to turn themselves into law enforcement. They will be caught," Teague said. "We are utilizing every resource available, and we will be aggressively pursuing justice for this officer."
Teague said the officers were commissioned security officers, meaning they were not commissioned peace officers. The firm will also do an internal investigation, and Teague said a preliminary investigation found officers followed their orders, training and organizational policy.
Texas Public Safety and Investigations is a private security and public safety firm with over 350 officers in Texas and Louisiana. Teague said this was the first time an officer was shot in the company's about four-year history.
KXAN reached out to APD and Topgolf for more information. This article will be updated if responses are received.