AUSTIN (KXAN) – A security officer was involved in the Friday shooting at a northeast Austin H-E-B that left one man dead, a spokesperson from H-E-B confirmed with KXAN.
KXAN determined security service company Allied Universal has a security officer presence at the H-E-B at 500 Canyon Ridge Drive, where the shooting occurred. A spokesperson for the company responded with a statement.
“As the world’s leading security and facility services company, Allied Universal is dedicated to helping keep our clients and their customers safe. We are aware of the incident and cooperating with local authorities. Since this is an active investigation, we ask that all further questions be referred to the Austin Police Department,” the statement read.
Officers responded Friday to a trespass call at the grocery store. While headed there, officers received several 911 calls about the shooting. APD said during a briefing that homicide detectives were actively conducting an investigation, and a person was detained for questioning.
Security officers and Texas law
“Security guards find themselves in a very precarious situation here in Texas because they do not have any additional rights than an ordinary citizen,” said Richard D. Hayes, an attorney with Walker & Taylor Law who handles mostly Second Amendment and self-defense cases.
Hayes said while most security officers are required to undertake extensive training before beginning their roles, under the law, they do not get additional protections as police officers do.
“Unlike police who have qualified immunity,” Hayes said, “security officers don’t have any qualified immunity – that liability falls on them,” he continued.
Hayes said security officers can be treated “more harshly” than private citizens in self-defense cases involving firearms.
“I think that there’s a lot of confusion when it comes to self-defense under Texas law,” Hayes said. “It’s very tough on self-defenders, and self-defenders need to be wary that this is a defense that’s proven at trial.”
“People need to be careful if they find themselves in these situations,” he continued. “If there’s a reasonable, safe alternative to using force or deadly force, you should take it.”