Married Austin SWAT cop killed trying to rescue hostages who were also shot dead
A Texas SWAT officer was killed in a shootout🃏 with a barricaded gunman in which the two hostages whom the marrie𓆏d cop was trying to rescue were also shot dead.
The death early Saturday of Senior Police Officer Jorge Pastore — called “a warrior” by colleagues — marked the first time an Austin police officer was killed in the line of duty in 10 years.
A colleagღue was also hit, but left in stable condition, before the unidentified gunman was shot dead.
The deadly confrontation started aroundಌ 2:49 a.m. Saturday when a frantic woman 🔜“screaming for help” said she had been stabbed, Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson said at a news conference.
The woman was apparently able to escape the Austin home, where two others were believed to be al🥂ive and trapped with an unidentified man who barricaded himself inside.
Officers made an emergency entrance around 3:01 a.m. — only to be met with gunfire.
They immediately retreate𓂃d without returning fire and instead called SWAT officers, who arrived at 4:11 a.m🃏., Henderson said.
“As SWAT officers entered, the suspect immediately fired his gun at the officers, and the SWAT officers returned fire,” the police chief said.
Two cops were shotౠ in the exchange of gunfire, and Pastore was pronounced dead at a ✤local hospital.
The two hostages inside were also ki☂lled, and the gunman was fatally𒈔 shot.
Only Pascore has been identified.
Pastore joined the Austin Police Department in 2019 as a cadet, and gr🌟aduated from the police academy in January 2020.
Over his three ye𒐪ars with the department, Pastore made the SWAT Gold team — which meant he was on reserve if full-time SWAT members could not respond to an incident, the interim police chief
He was also part of the 🐬department’s CAST division — the team called on to take out active🌳 shooters, and the SRT or riot team.
Michael Bullock, president of the Austin Police Association, described Pastore as a🐈 hard worker who “🤡constantly sought to improve himself.”
“Officer Pastore was a💜 warrior,” he said at a memorial sꦫervice,
“We will honor his me💟mory as his fellow warriors by fighting for this city and profession, no matter who or what may stand in our way,” Bullock said.
Cleo Petricek, co-founder of Save Austin Now, also said, “Officers li♔ke Jorge make it possible for us to live only a phone caဣll away for help.
“We must show our support for our officers who, despite these stresses, put on the uniform and take great pe🦹rsonal risk to offer safety and a h🉐elping hand to our community.”
He is survived by his wife, two stepsons, parents and two sisterജs.
