AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two men face murder charges after a 17-year-old was shot last week during a drug deal, according to Austin police.
Late on Sunday, Oct. 13, officers responded to a report of a shooting near Lyons Road and Fiesta Street and found Emmet Infante-Ramos lying facedown next to his car. He had been shot in his lower left torso, according to an affidavit. He was taken to the hospital where he later died.
The victim’s girlfriend told police they had gone to the area to sell “carts,” or THC-vaping cartridges. She said he had gotten out of the car and shortly after she heard him yell “Chill” to the two men he was trying to sell to — who police later identified as Reginald Williams, 19, and Elijah Malone, 21. According to the affidavit, the victim tried to get into the car, was pulled back, and then she heard gunshots.
Police used text messages and calls from the victim’s phone to track down Malone, who was wanted on a separate aggravated assault with a deadly weapon warrant and was taken into custody. Police believe he and Reginald were involved in the shooting. Investigators found THC cartridges like the ones Infante-Ramos was selling in both of their homes. A witness told police she saw both of them with the cartridges shortly after the shooting and that both were out of breath. The witness said she remembered one of them saying “we robbed them.”
Infante-Ramos was a student at East Austin College Prep. Superintendent of Promesa Public Schools, Sal Cavazos released a statement, saying:
“We were deeply saddened to learn that the victim of last night’s shooting was a student at East Austin College Prep. We are working to keep our students and families informed as new details arise and have put in place support services through our EAPrep Support Staff, Project Care Team and Integral Care professionals for our students affected by this sad news. Counseling and support services will be available for the remainder of the week and will continue as needed.”
Williams and Malone are currently listed as being in custody in the Travis County Jail. Williams previously faced a burglary of a building charge after allegedly breaking into McCallum High School in March.