Woman dies in local hospital after attack in downtown Austin
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Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information released by Austin Police.
A woman died early Monday morning after a man who claimed she robbed him at knifepoint struck her with a metal bar in a downtown Austin alley, according to Austin police.
As of Monday evening, no charges had been filed, but police have questioned a suspect and the case is still under investigation, police said in a press release.
At 1:38 a.m. Monday, Austin police officers were flagged down by a passerby who said a woman was bleeding in the alley of the 500 block of East Sixth Street, the news release said. Officers found a woman lying on the ground with blood on her shirt. She was taken to a hospital and later died.
The woman was later identified as 42-year-old Shannon Smith.
The man who told police about the woman said he knew the person responsible, and officers then found a man named Gregory Watkins, 54. Watkins told police that Smith “came at him with a knife and robbed him of his money and crack,” the news release said.
Watkins said he struck Smith once “with a metal bar he was holding in his hand,” the press release said.
The case was handled by the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, the press release said. Watkins was questioned and released.
Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to contact the police homicide unit at 512-477-3588 or the police tip line at 512-472-8477.
