In the early morning hours of December 28, 2025, a Hispanic man, 51-year-old Elias Ismael Mejia, was fatally shot in what Austin police believe may have been a robbery. His body was discovered later that morning around 9:21 a.m. in his parked vehicle in the 700 block of West William Cannon Drive in South Austin. When officers arrived on the scene, they found Mejia unresponsive and not breathing; he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
An autopsy confirmed that Elias Mejia died from a gunshot wound, and the case is being investigated as the city's 55th homicide of the year. Investigators found that Mejia's wallet was missing, leading them to consider robbery as a primary motive for the attack. The Austin Police Department has indicated that the shooting likely occurred between 2:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. on the morning his body was found.
As of now, the suspect or suspects in the shooting of Elias Ismael Mejia remain at large. The Austin Police Department has made a public appeal for information, urging anyone who was in the area during the specified time frame to come forward with any details they might have, no matter how insignificant they may seem. They are also asking residents and businesses in the vicinity to review any surveillance footage that may have captured anything related to the incident. A reward of up to $1,000 has been offered for information that leads to an arrest in the case.
