Police: Austin man charged after he shot gun from backyard, close to a family

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin man has been charged with deadly conduct – a misdemeanor –and endangering a child – a felony – after shooting dozens of rounds of bullets from his backyard into a wooded area with his children, according to police documents. The bullets he shot ended up coming close to a nearby family, according to police documents.  

Austin Police responded to a call Wednesday evening from someone who had heard multiple gunshots coming from a southeast Austin home. APD went to the house where the shots were reportedly coming from and found 52 spent cartridges on the back patio. Upon interviewing the Austin man, APD found that he was practicing shooting with his children, the arrest affidavit said. 

While interviewing the accused man, APD received another call from a mother whose family was using a disc golf course – located behind the accused man’s home – and said multiple bullets were “whizzing” by them while they were playing the game, police said. 

The woman told police she feared for her family's safety. At one point, bullets were hitting the ground around her son while he grabbed his disc, per APD documents. 

APD said in the affidavit that with the information they received from the accused man’s confession about shooting away from his house into a wooded area and the family’s reports of gunshots passing by them at the disc golf course, there was probable cause to charge the man with deadly conduct and endangering a child. 

Is it legal to shoot a gun in your backyard in Texas?

It depends on the population size of the city. 

Texas penal code states a person commits an offense if they recklessly discharge a weapon within the city limits of a municipality that has more than 100,000 people.