Austin Man Turns and Fires on 61-Year-Old Who Followed Him Through Circle K Lot Threatening to Kill Him, Police Say

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AUSTIN, TX — A man shot and killed a 61-year-old Thursday morning after police say the older man followed him through a Central Austin gas station parking lot threatening to assault and kill him. The shooter called 911 himself, stayed at the scene, and has not been charged.

The man who died was Bruce Williams, 61, according to the Austin Police Department’s preliminary investigation, as reported by CBS Austin, which also reported APD’s account of the threats, the close-range shot, and the status of charges.

Cpl. Jose Mendez of APD’s Public Information Office told reporters that officers were called to the Circle K in the 3900 block of Guadalupe Street around 11:30 a.m. The store sits across the street from the Austin State Hospital. Two people called 911. One was a woman pumping gas, who said she heard a verbal altercation followed by a few gunshots. The other was the man who fired.

According to APD, Williams followed the man through the parking lot, allegedly threatening to physically assault him and kill him. The man turned. He shot Williams at close range. Then he called 911. Mendez said the shooting happened behind the business, out of view of the pumps.

Officers gave Williams first aid, and he was taken to a hospital. He was pronounced dead at 11:48 a.m.

Mendez said the two men did not appear to know each other. He also said Williams was known to the department, with several prior calls and interactions involving him, but he declined to give details. Police have not released the shooter’s name. Mendez described him only as a man in his 20s.

The man stayed at the scene, cooperated with officers, and gave investigators a statement, according to APD. That puts his account on the record first, in his own words, before anyone else tells it for him.

Police have not said whether Williams had a weapon, and that matters. Deadly force is justified only against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm. Words alone, even threats to kill, generally do not get you there. What investigators will weigh is how close Williams was, what he was doing when the man turned, and what any video shows. Mendez said detectives and crime scene specialists were canvassing the area for surveillance footage and witnesses.

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• Bend Father With a Concealed Carry Permit Followed a 16-Year-Old Shooter Into His Daughters’ Elementary School and Killed Him Before Police Arrived; Wyden Answers With Call for ‘Common Sense Gun Laws’
• Austin Homeowner Shoots and Kills 24-Year-Old Burglar Who Made It All the Way Into the Bedroom During 3:51 A.M. Break-In
• 73-Year-Old San Francisco Vietnam Veteran Shoots Masked Intruder in the Buttocks After He Drilled Through His Door and Knocked Him to His Hands and Knees at 5 A.M.

The mindset piece is in the first half of this story. In the police account, the man was the one walking and Williams was the one following. Distance is the first tool anyone has against a stranger making threats, and it is also what investigators look for later when they reconstruct who was trying to end the encounter. When distance stops working, the decision gets made at close range in a matter of seconds.

No charges have been filed, and APD says the circumstances remain under investigation. The department is counting the case as Austin’s 48th homicide of 2026, a tally that includes any death caused by another person, whether or not it is later found justified. Police ask anyone with information to call 512-974-TIPS or Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477.

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