Dec 2023. Blues Vol 39 No. 12

AROUND THE COUNTRY

AROUND THE COUNTRY AUSTIN, TX. Senior Officer Jorge Pastore, a SWAT officer with the Austin Police Department, was shot and killed by a suspect as he attempted to rescue hostages. The Austin Police Department is reeling following a tragic weekend in which two officers died off duty, while one officer and three civilians were killed in a hostage situation Saturday. Austin Police Officer Jorge Pastore, 38, was one of two officers shot during a SWAT standoff with the violent assailant. Pastore died from his wounds; the second officer was released from Dell Seton Medical Center Tuesday. On Wednesday, APD released the names of the suspect, Ahmed Mohamed Nassar, and two civilians killed at the scene: Eyman Elnemrnassar and Riad Nassar. The following day, retired APD Officer Ray Shillito died following a car crash in Leander. A third officer, Senior Officer Kristy Astran, a 15-year veteran of APD, also died off duty over the weekend of unknown causes. APD personnel are remembering Pastore as a brave, gregarious colleague who was devoted to the profession and eager to help his community. Pastore graduated from the Austin Police Academy in 2019, but before that, he worked as a paramedic in Florida. There, he became one of the people providing emergency care to victims shot during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., said Michael Bullock, an APD night shift patrol officer (and newly elected Austin Police Association president) who worked with Pastore on APD’s Counter Assault Strike Team. After becoming an Austin police officer, Pastore poured himself into training, investing many hours above the required amount studying police tactics. His training and experience as a medic led to him winning an assignment in the CAST unit, which was assembled to provide a response to active shooter situations or when someone is in immediate danger. Later, Pastore was assigned to APD’s SWAT team. APD Interim Chief Robin Henderson praised Pastore’s bravery in a Nov. 11 post on X. “Please help me and our APD family pay tribute to [Senior Police Officer] Jorge Pastore for his brave & heroic actions,” Henderson wrote. OFFICER JORGE PASTORE “Sir, we’ll take it from here.” Pastore is survived by his wife, two stepsons, parents, and two sisters. Pastore is the first APD officer killed in the line of duty since Officer Jaime Padron was fatally shot in 2012. The actions Henderson referenced in her post were undertaken during a 911 call that came in at 2:49am from a home in the 9300 block of Bernoulli Drive; the caller said she was being stabbed. Minutes later, officers arrived. A third person escaped the home and told officers the assailant was still inside and armed with a knife. “He always had a smile on his face. That’s what I remember 30 The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue

about him the most. No matter how horrible the situation was, he was just a really good officer who wanted to help.” – Former Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday An hour later, around 4am, officers with APD’s SWAT team arrived and forced their way into the home. A shoot-out ensued, resulting in the death of Pastore and the injury of the second officer. After the shooting, officers found the assailant and two hostages dead, but it is unclear if any were killed in the shootout. Sources told the Chronicle that both officers were shot by the assailant, who was wielding a rifle. (An APD spokesperson declined to comment on details about the incident beyond what has already been released publicly.) Bullock was among the officers who raced across town to make it to the scene after officers were shot at the first time. Bullock agreed there was a through line between Pastore’s experience as a medic in Parkland and as a SWAT officer in Austin. “It completely embodies what Pastore was all about,” Bullock told us Nov. 14. “Fighting for other people, protecting innocent lives, and stopping people who were hurting other people.” We do not yet know every detail of the incident, but it is believed that Pastore was the first officer to enter the home once SWAT forced their way into the residence. If that is how events transpired, Bullock said it would be completely unsurprising. “He was not the kind of guy to wait for something to happen,” Bullock said. “He wanted to run in there and help people.” Thousands of police officers from across the state and the country poured into the Circuit of the Americas amphitheater to honor the life of the fallen Austin police SWAT officer Jorge Pastore, who was killed in the line of duty last Saturday. Pastore’s casket, draped in the U.S. flag, was carried by members of the Austin Police Department honor guard. His casket was opened so those in attendance could pay their respects; many took off their caps and saluted him. The overcast, chilly morning seemed to reflect the mood of a city and the Police Department mourning the first Austin police officer to die by a shooting in the line of duty in more than a decade. But as the last of the officers made their way across the stage near the end of the visitation, the sun began to peek out from the clouds — fitting for the day, as multiple people have said Pastore was known to “light up” a room with his “vibrant” attitude. The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue 31