Case:                           24-2390114    
 
Date:                           Monday, August 26, 2024
 
Time:                          1:38 a.m.
 
Location:                    500 block E 6th Street
 
Deceased:                   Shannon Smith, Black female, 10/10/1981
 
Suspect:                      Gregory Watkins, Black male, 54 years of age
 
On Monday, August 26, 2024, at approximately 1:38 am, Austin Police Department (APD) officers were flagged down that a female was bleeding in the alley of the 500 block of East 6th Street. Officers located a female on the ground with blood on her shirt who was later identified as Shannon Smith. Smith was unresponsive and transported by Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (A/TCEMS) to a local hospital.
 
Officers were flagged down by a male who claimed to know the responsible party for this. Officers located a male identified as Gregory Watkins who is wheelchair bound. Watkins stated that Smith had approached him with a knife and robbed him of his money and crack. Watkins said he struck Smith once and it appears this was with a metal rod he had been holding. 
 
This case was staffed with the Travis County district attorney’s office and no charges are being filed at this time though the case is still under investigation. Watkins was interviewed and released.
 
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or by calling 512-472-8477. A reward up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest.
 
This case is being investigated as Austin's 41st homicide of 2024.