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AUSTIN, TX – A 56-year-old man who was shot dead by Austin police last week after an hour-long argument with authorities was identified on Monday.
Robert Bruce Richart died Wednesday after police said he shot Austin Code Enforcement for trying to mow his lawn, set fire to his house and left his garage armed with guns.
At around 9:16 a.m., police assisted enforcement of the Austin Code with a search warrant for lawn maintenance in a house at 10610 Pinkney Lane in south Austin.
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When officials couldn’t contact the homeowner, city contractors began mowing his front and back yards.
After the incident, police dispatched their SWAT team to an armed, barricaded person.
Police said several attempts were made to contact Richart, who was in the house, but were unsuccessful. At 10:43 a.m. SWAT, psychiatrists and APD Crisis Negotiators were on site to bring the situation under control and to avoid further violence.
The officers tried to contact Richart for several hours, but were unsuccessful. At 3:19 p.m. APD SWAT officers were in the back yard of Richard’s house when he started shooting at the police.
Because Richart shot at the police, authorities said SWAT used a robot to get into his home. Through the robot’s camera, the officers discovered that a fire had broken out in the house.
Police said they asked Richart to come outside for the next 20 minutes, but he refused. At this point the house was completely on fire and the Austin fire was trying to put out the fire.
At 3:39 p.m., authorities said the garage door opened and Richart left, guns in hand.
A SWAT officer fired at Richart and hit him. The 56-year-old fell to the ground, police disarmed him and took him out of the burning house to safety.
Police and ambulance services began life-saving work on Richart before he was rushed to a local hospital. He later died from his injuries.
Officials said an Austin Code Enforcement employee suffered minor injuries from the incident and was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas for treatment.
Police said the police-related shooting was recorded using the officer’s body-worn camera. Authorities say they are working to find other video sources before releasing the footage within 10 business days.
The officer who shot Richart was identified as Eric Strnad. Strnad has been with Austin PD for eight years and 7 months. Strnad was on leave according to the police protocol.
APD will conduct two simultaneous investigations into this incident: a criminal investigation by the APD Special Investigations Unit in conjunction with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office and an administrative investigation by the APD Internal Affairs Unit under the supervision of the Office of Police Oversight.
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https://patch.com/texas/downtownaustin/police-id-man-killed-officers-south-austin-shooting
