"Texas Two-City Shooting Rampage"

Recipient of the STAR BREAKING NEWS REPORT award in The Charles E. Green Awards (2023)

AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Judge’s Comments:

The news that unfolded on deadline in Austin on December 5, 2023, started with a wounded school police officer and built through the day and night with more killings. The Austin American-Statesman team covered the evolving news with speed online, remarkable detail and nuanced reporting.

The shocking details are straightforward and clear. A mother walking her infant shot. The suspect’s parents shot. Two police officers shot, with one officer scrambling on his body-cam to return fire. A bicyclist, shot. Another couple at home, shot. Six dead, three wounded in at least five locations across two counties.

The reporting piles on twists and unresolved details when learned, to be fleshed out in coming days. No community alert was issued even as the shootings, believed to be unrelated, continued. The suspect’s mental health issues, military record and employment are obtained, along with three outstanding arrest warrants open for more than a year. Police previously called to his parents’ home, trying to de-escalate, had left with a promise from his father – unfulfilled – that he would call later to have his son taken into custody. A saddened state organization explained why it had helped bail the suspect out of jail on earlier charges, while a District Attorney discussed criminal history and the risks in setting bond. Neighbors recalled the suspect and his father as “beyond normal.” The number of mass shootings for the year in Texas and the country add context. The White House statement is added.

While the writing captures well the carnage and confusion, also worth recognizing are the photojournalists and online staff who contributed strongly. The visuals of grieving families and stunned neighbors convey the immediacy, shock and heartbreaking anguish. The online feed grows over the hours with new details and photos highlighted, all backed up with earlier facts.

The American-Statesman is recognized for Breaking News Report of the Year.

John Bartosek

Judge’s Bio:

John Bartosek is the former editor of The Palm Beach Post in South Florida. In 24 years at The Post, he served as Editor, Managing Editor, Deputy Managing Editor and News Editor. He also worked as News Editor at The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., and began his journalism career at TODAY Newspaper in Cocoa, Florida. After leaving The Post, he worked briefly as editor of Politifact.com/Florida. He is a former president and contest chair for the Florida Society of News Editors and a former chair of APME’s Credibility Committee. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and received an MBA from Florida Atlantic University. He retired in 2024 after 12 years as Communications Officer for Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County.

To watch the award-winning coverage from the team at the Austin American-Statesman, click the links below:

LINK 1 to content online
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