Austin Police Investigate In-Custody Death of Man on Research Boulevard

The Austin Police Department (APD) is actively investigating the tragic in-custody death of a man that occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, October 3, 2023.

At approximately 3:07 a.m., APD officers responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting a pedestrian in the 12000 block of Research Boulevard. The callers described a man wearing blue jean shorts and no shirt who was in the lanes of travel of the high-speed roadway, displaying obvious injuries.

Upon arrival at 3:11 a.m., officers located the individual, later identified as Reice Samuel Brown. Officers attempted to communicate with Mr. Brown and deescalate the situation. Despite their efforts, Mr. Brown was unresponsive to verbal commands. He proceeded to inflict serious injuries upon himself using a metal object in front of the officers. To prevent further harm, an officer deployed his Department-approved taser. The taser effectively subdued Mr. Brown, allowing officers to handcuff him, administer aid, and perform CPR before Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (A/TCEMS) arrived.

Mr. Brown was transported to a local hospital by A/TCEMS. At approximately 4:05 a.m., Mr. Brown was pronounced deceased.

Given the proximity of Mr. Brown’s passing to his contact with APD officers, the incident is being investigated as an in-custody death. The cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner.

The incident was captured on two officers’ body-worn cameras, as per APD policy. These videos will be released within ten business days. The officer who deployed the taser has two years and eleven months of service with the Department.

Two separate investigations will be conducted by the APD in connection with this incident: a criminal investigation led by the APD Special Investigations Unit in collaboration with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, and an administrative investigation overseen by the APD Internal Affairs Unit, with supervision from the Office of Police Oversight.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call APD’s Special Investigation Unit at (512) 974-6840 or Capitol Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477. For the Capitol Area Crime Stoppers submission, you may submit a tip online at You may remain anonymous.