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Raymond Lee Howard

Age : 33

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 08/28/2025

Location : 1807 West Slaughter Lane, ThunderCloud Subs

City : Austin

County : Travis

State : Texas

Agency : Austin Police Department

Officer(s) :Marcus Gonzalez, Craig Pruitt, Ricardo Cardona

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during burglary investigation

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/28/2025, Austin Police Department detectives shot and killed 33-year-old Raymond Lee Howard during a planned arrest operation inside a ThunderCloud Subs at 1807 West Slaughter Lane in South Austin.
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Police had been investigating Howard in connection with a series of residential burglaries and home invasions during August. Police alleged that firearms were taken during some of those burglaries and that on 08/27/2025 Howard entered an occupied home while armed with a handgun. The following day, the department's Major Crimes Suppression Unit organized an operation to locate and arrest him.
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Detectives arranged to meet Howard at the shopping center as part of an operation involving the purported purchase of stolen property. Howard arrived on a motorcycle. Police watched him and confirmed his identity before three detectives—Marcus Gonzalez, Craig Pruitt and Ricardo Cardona—entered the ThunderCloud Subs shortly before 5:30 p.m.
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The detectives were wearing police-marked vests and ordered Howard to get on the ground. Body-camera video subsequently released by Austin police shows Howard moving away from the detectives toward customer Fernando Martinez and pulling a handgun from a crossbody bag.
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Martinez grabbed Howard and the two struggled. Police said Howard fired at least one round during the struggle. Gonzalez, Pruitt and Cardona then opened fire, striking Howard. Howard was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 5:46 p.m.
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Martinez was also shot in the shoulder during the gunfire and was hospitalized. Initial reporting did not establish whether the bullet that struck Martinez came from Howard's gun or police gunfire. A bullet also traveled through the wall of the neighboring Accent Trophies and Awards business and struck a metal bar near where the business owner had been sitting.
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Austin police initially withheld Howard's identity and the names of the shooting officers. On 09/02/2025, the department publicly identified Howard and confirmed that Detectives Marcus Gonzalez, Craig Pruitt and Ricardo Cardona had all fired their weapons. The department also released body-camera footage and police radio recordings from the operation.
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The Austin Police Department Special Investigations Unit opened a criminal investigation in conjunction with the Travis County District Attorney's Office. The department's Internal Affairs Unit opened a separate administrative investigation with oversight by Austin's Office of Police Oversight.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
Detectives Marcus Gonzalez, Craig Pruitt and Ricardo Cardona fired at Raymond Howard.
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Austin Office of Police Oversight records document prior discipline involving Craig Pruitt. On 05/09/2021, an Austin police commander gave Pruitt an oral reprimand arising from a verbal interaction with another police officer in a Northeast Austin parking lot. The department determined that Pruitt violated Austin Police Department policy 900.5, Responsibility to the Community.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.fox7austin.com/news/1-dead-after-officer-involved-shooting-south-austin
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/south-austin-officer-involved-shooting-video
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/officer-involved-shooting-south-austin-apd-provides-update
https://www.statesman.com/news/crime/article/austin-police-shooting-raymond-lee-howard-21026764.php
https://www.austintexas.gov/police-oversight/documents?page=124