3 people killed on same Austin, Texas street within one week

Community violence intervention group ATX Peace urges anyone impacted by gun violence to reach out to them at (512) 366-8131.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Three people were killed on Burton Drive in southeast Austin within one week, according to the Austin Police Department.

First, police found two people dead outside of an apartment complex Monday morning. In that case, police believe the suspect, Sherles Machado-Herndandez killed his common-law wife, who is the mother of his children , Francis Kaina Anseume Corredor, 27, and a man she was allegedly dating, Bryan Florentino Flores Alvarez, 19.

About a block away, APD investigated a separate homicide Wednesday night. Police found the body of a 20-year-old near the intersection of Burton Drive and Oltorf Street. This is in the Riverside neighborhood. Police have identified that victim as Keshawn Cage. His 20th birthday was earlier this week .

Wednesday’s homicide is being investigated as the city’s 53rd homicide of the year, and APD does not believe it is related to Monday’s double homicide.

Five people killed on Burton Drive since beginning of this year

This week’s homicides weren’t the first to plague Burton Drive this year. On July 18, someone called 911 to tell police someone tried to kill his friend.

When police and medics arrived, they found Jose Ramon Lizarraga Boca Negra inside a home with apparent gunshot wounds . Police believe someone shot him inside the home and ran away. An arrest has not yet been made.

On July 24, a block away, police believe Alex Trevino, 34, stabbed a man in his 20s to death . The victim was Javier Antonio Navarro Quesada. Someone called 911 saying a person was stabbed. First responders performed life-saving measures on the victim, but he died.

Burton Drive is in the part of southeast Austin that’s in City Council District 3. The chart below shows a breakdown of homicides per district from 2019 to the present. We have also provided a map of the council district.

Jose Velasquez is the council member for District 3. His office has previously told us he “is always working with APD and community organizers to get information and updates about those areas of increased violence and also staying informed of anything that might be developing.”

Last year, he introduced a budget amendment for $500,000 to expand the Officer of Violence Prevention’s Community Violence Intervention Program.

Community violence intervention efforts

Currently, community violence intervention group ATX Peace is already serving the Riverside and South Pleasant Valley Communities. These efforts, which used to be run in the nonprofit space, now receive city funding and resources under the Office of Violence Prevention.

According to ATX Peace’s mission statement, “Solutions come from within the community and above all, you want the approach you use to work.” The group utilizes people who already live in and have connections with these communities, including some individuals with lived experience related to violent crime, to step in after violence occurs to help prevent it from happening again. They also run proactive violence prevention efforts in the community as well.

Following Monday’s double homicide, staff canvassed the area handing out pamphlets to people who live there and working to connect with those most directly impacted by this week’s violence. Their goal is to get to the root of what’s causing any unrest and stop the cycle of violence.

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