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[Austin Surge of Drug Overdoses News Conference]
AFTERNOON.I'M TRAVIS COUNTY JUDGE ANDY BROWN.
THANKS FOR JOINING US HERE TODAY.
UM, FIRST I WANNA OFFER MY DEEPEST CONDOLENCES DURING THIS DIFFICULT TIME TO THE FAMILY, FAMILIES, AND FRIENDS OF THE PEOPLE WHO DIED YESTERDAY.
THIS TRAGIC LOSS OF LIFE WEIGHS HEAVILY ON OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO ALL OF THOSE WHO ARE IMPACTED.
I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE AND THANK AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMS AND THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THEIR SWIFT RESPONSE TO THE LARGEST OPIOID OVERDOSE OUTBREAK WE'VE SEEN IN YEARS HERE IN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
THEIR QUICK RESPONSE SAVED DOZENS OF LIVES AND THEIR SWIFT DISTRIBUTION AND ADMINISTRATION OF NARCAN PREVENTED FURTHER LOSS.
LATER THIS AFTERNOON, THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT WILL APPROVE A CONTRACT WITH TEXANS CONNECTING OVERDOSE PREVENTION EFFORTS, ALSO KNOWN AS TEX COPE.
THE PARTNERSHIP WITH TEX COPE WILL PROVIDE TRAVIS COUNTY WITH REAL-TIME DATA ON OVERDOSE INCIDENTS AND NARCAN DISTRIBUTION AND SUPPLY.
ACCESS TO THIS DATA WILL ALLOW TRAVIS COUNTY, OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND OUR FIRST RESPONDERS TO HAVE REAL-TIME INFORMATION ABOUT WHEN, WHERE, AND WHY OVERDOSES ARE OCCURRING, AND USE THE INFORMATION TO TAILOR OUR OPIOID RESPONSE AND REMEDIATION EFFORTS.
THANKS TO TEX COPE, WE WERE ABLE TO QUICKLY ALERT OVERDOSE RESPONSE ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE I 35 CORRIDOR FROM SAN ANTONIO TO DALLAS TO BE PREPARED TO RESPOND IN CASE THE BAD BATCH TRAVELED TO THEIR LOCATION.
WE'VE ALSO CONFIRMED THAT INTEGRAL CARE HAS NARCAN AVAILABLE AT ALL OF THEIR CLINIC LOCATIONS AND IS ACTIVELY DISTRIBUTING THROUGH THEIR COMMUNITY OUTREACH TEAMS. OPIOID OVERDOSE DEATHS ARE COMPLETELY PREVENTABLE AND EVERYONE IN TRAVIS COUNTY SHOULD BE AWARE AND PREPARED TO RESPOND TO AN OVERDOSE INCIDENT.
EVERYONE SHOULD CARRY NARCAN AND KNOW HOW TO RESPOND TO AN OVERDOSE.
I CARRY A DOSE OF IT IN MY COMPUTER BAG.
DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS CONTINUE TO BE THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF NON-ACCIDENTAL DEATHS IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
ON IN BACK IN 2022 AND MAY 24TH, 2022, THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT DECLARED OUR OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS AND MADE SIGNIFICANT POLICY AND FINANCIAL INVESTMENTS TO SAVE LIVES.
THIS FUNDED A THREE-PART STRATEGY OF EDUCATION, PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF OVERDOSE DEATHS AND SUPPORT HARM REDUCTION ACTIVITIES AND STRATEGIES.
SINCE OUR DECLARATION FOR FISCAL YEAR 2022 AND 23, THE COUNTY HAS DISTRIBUTED 9,752 DOSES OF NARCAN AND TRAINED ABOUT 320 PEOPLE.
I KNOW THE CITY AND OTHER ENTITIES HAVE DONE MORE.
ON TOP OF THAT, THIS YEAR, THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT AUTHORIZED ANOTHER $175,000 TO PURCHASE AND DISTRIBUTE NARCAN TO COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE ON THE GROUND TACKLING THIS CRISIS.
WE DISTRIBUTE IT TO PLACES LIKE COMMUNITIES FOR RECOVERY, NICE PROJECT.
THE OTHER ONE'S FOUNDATION, SAFE ALLIANCE, SAFE HAVEN, SUNRISE HOMELESS NAVIGATION CENTER, SUNRISE COMMUNITY CHURCH, TEXAS HARM REDUCTION ALLIANCE, TRINITY CENTER, AUSTIN URBAN ALCHEMY, UH, VIBRANT HEALTH WORKING GROUP 5 1 2, AND TRAVIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTS.
IN TOTAL, THAT IS 14,256 DOSES OF NARCAN.
UM, WE'VE RECEIVED OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS FROM THOSE LAWSUITS.
SO FAR WE'VE RECEIVED $1.5 MILLION OR SO, AND WE'VE AUTHORIZED ABOUT 860,000 OF THAT TO BE INVESTED IN CONTRACTS FOR METHADONE TREATMENT SERVICES.
PEER RECOVERY SUPPORTS THE PURCHASE OF NARCAN AND THE RENTAL OF SHARP'S COLLECTION KIOSKS.
WE CLEARLY STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS BETTER ACCESS TO NARCAN.
PLAYING WITH AN ADDICTION TO DRUGS, ASK FOR HELP.
NOBODY IS LOOKING DOWN ON YOU FOR ASKING FOR HELP.
ASKING FOR HELP COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE.
AND TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TO RESPOND TO AN OVERDOSE AND WHERE TO GET FREE NARCAN, YOU CAN GO TO TXC OP E.ORG TEX COPE.ORG.
SO, UM, THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
WE'RE GONNA LEARN MORE FROM THE FOLKS WHO ACTUALLY DID THE RESPONSE, AND RIGHT NOW I'M GONNA PASS IT OVER TO AUSTIN MAYOR PRO TEM LESLIE POOLE.
I'M LESLIE POOLE, MAYOR PRO TEM OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL, AND I THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US HERE TODAY.
THIS IS A VITALLY IMPORTANT TOPIC, AND WE NEED YOUR HELP TO GET CRITICAL LIFESAVING INFORMATION TO EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
MAYOR WATSON WANTED TO BE HERE, BUT HE'S OUT OF TOWN, SO I'LL DO MY BEST TO FILL IN FOR HIM.
THE LOSS OF LIFE SINCE YESTERDAY MORNING IS DEVASTATING TO CONTEMPLATE.
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DANGEROUS, BOTH WITH SO MANY NOW BEING LACED WITH SYNTHETIC OPIOIDS LIKE FENTANYL, THE ODDS OF IT BEING DEADLY HAVE DRAMATICALLY INCREASED IN THE PAST FEW YEARS.I WANNA THANK OUR EMERGENCY RESPONDERS FOR THEIR EXCELLENT WORK YESTERDAY.
THEIR QUICK REACTION AND EXPERTISE SAVED MANY LIVES.
THEY ALSO CANVASSED AREAS HANDING OUT NARCAN KITS, WHICH CAN BE LIFESAVING FOR THOSE WHO HAVE OVERDOSED.
IT'S A GOOD IDEA AS THE COUNTY JUDGE HAS MENTIONED, FOR ANYONE WHO HAS A FA, A FRIEND OR A FAMILY MEMBER WHO STRUGGLES WITH DRUG ADDICTION TO HAVE NARCAN NEARBY AND BE PREPARED TO USE IT.
I ALSO WANT TO THANK MEMBERS OF THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT WHO ARE ACTIVELY INVESTIGATING THE SOURCE OF THESE OVERDOSES AND BRINGING THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR DEALING THESE DEADLY DRUGS TO JUSTICE.
AND NOW I'LL INVITE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMS ASSISTANT CHIEF STEVE WHITE TO SHARE SOME INFORMATION WITH YOU.
UH, YESTERDAY AROUND 9:00 AM IN THE MORNING, UH, THE CITY EXPERIENCED A CERTAIN SUCH AND SURGE IN OPIATE OVERDOSES, INITIALLY CONCENTRATED IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA AND THEN EVENTUALLY SPREADING THROUGHOUT THE CITY, NORTH, SOUTH, AND EAST AUSTIN.
TRAVIS COUNTY EMS AND OUR VALUED PARTNERS AT THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE AND URBAN ALCHEMY RAPIDLY DEPLOYED A TEAM TO THESE AFFECTED AREAS AND QUICKLY STARTED DISTRIBUTING NARCAN RESCUE KITS AND EDUCATING BYSTANDERS ON HOW TO USE THEM IN CASE THEY ENCOUNTERED AN OVERDOSE THROUGHOUT THE DAY YESTERDAY AND IN TODAY, WE HAVE SEEN AN UNEXPECTED VOLUME OF OPIOID OVERDOSES ACROSS THE CITY.
AND AS OF NOON TODAY, AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMS HAS RESPONDED TO OVER 51 SUSPECTED OVERDOSES.
MANY OF THOSE WERE FOUND IN CARDIAC ARREST, AND UNFORTUNATELY, OUT OF THOSE 51 4 RESULTED IN, UM, BEING PRONOUNCED DECEASED.
WE HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED OVERDOSES OF THIS VOLUME SINCE 2015 WHEN K TWO WAS EFFECT, UH, STRUCK OUR COMMUNITY.
WE TYPICALLY AVERAGE ABOUT TWO TO THREE OVERDOSE CALLS PER DAY.
YESTERDAY WE WERE IN THE FIFTIES.
THAT IS WELL OVER A THOUSAND PERCENT INCREASE.
THE SAFETY AND WELLBEING OF OUR RESIDENTS ARE OUR TOP PRIORITIES, AND WE ARE WORKING DILIGENTLY TO ADDRESS THIS CRISIS.
MANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU SEE STANDING WITH ME TODAY HAVE PUT IN LONG HOURS TO DEVELOP PROGRAMS FOR TIMES JUST LIKE THIS.
IF OUR CITY AND COUNTY LEADERSHIP HAD NOT MADE THIS A PRIORITY, THE OUTCOME OF YESTERDAY WOULD'VE BEEN MUCH, MUCH WORSE.
THE NUMBER OF LIVES THAT WE WOULD'VE LOST WOULD'VE BEEN DOZENS INSTEAD OF SINGLE DIGITS.
OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS HAVE DISTRIBUTED OVER 267 DOSES OF NARCAN IN SOME OF THESE AFFECTED AREAS.
COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN HELP US BY LEARNING THE SIGNS OF AN OVERDOSE AND HOW TO CARE FOR SOMEONE UNTIL HELP ARRIVES.
WE WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE SOME OF THE OUTSTANDING EFFORTS OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS IN THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT WHO ARE WORKING THE SURGE WITH US.
CHIEF I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT HENRY SECTOR SPECIFICALLY, UH, PERFORMED, UH, AMAZING WORK AND ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH THEIR ENTIRE STOCK, STOCK OF NARCAN IN ONE DAY.
ADDITIONALLY, WE ENCOURAGE ANYONE WHO MAY BE STRUGGLING WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE TO SEEK HELP AND SUPPORT FROM LOCAL RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
YOU SHOULD NEVER USE AN UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE, BUT IF YOU CHOOSE TO, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO START SLOW, START LOW, AND NEVER USE ALONE.
YOU SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE A SOBER FRIEND WHO HAS NARCAN AVAILABLE SO THAT THEY CAN ADMINISTER AND CALL 9 1 1.
I WOULD NOW LIKE TO TURN THE PODIUM OVER TO, UH, AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, ASSISTANT CHIEF ERIC FITZGERALD.
I'M ERIC FITZGERALD, ASSISTANT CHIEF WITH THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
I WANNA START OUT BY THANKING OUR PATROL OFFICERS AND OUR ORGANIZED CRIME DIVISION DETECTIVES, AS WELL AS OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS, AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, EMS, AND AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THEIR COMBINED EFFORTS UNDOUBTEDLY REDUCED THE NUMBER OF DEATHS THAT WE HAVE EXPERIENCED AND SEEN OVER
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THE LAST 30 HOURS.DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME, A NUMBER OF OUR OFFICERS ADMINISTERED MULTIPLE DOSES AT VARIOUS SCENES, WHICH HELPED SAVE THE LIVES PRIOR TO OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS ARRIVING ON SCENE.
ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE SEEN CIVILIANS JUMP INTO ACTION AND INTERVENE BY ADMINISTERING NARCAN ON SOME OF THESE SCENES.
SINCE OCTOBER OF 2021, THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT IS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE TRAINED AND HAVE OUR OFFICERS ADMINISTER NARCAN IN SITUATIONS JUST LIKE THIS.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS HAS MADE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT AT THIS TIME.
IT IS APPARENT THAT THERE IS A DEADLY BATCH OF ILLICIT NARCOTICS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
OUR INTENT AT THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT IS TO FIND THOSE PERSONS RESPONSIBLE AND HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.
AGAIN, I WANNA THANK ALL OF THE OFFICERS FOR THEIR QUICK RESPONSE AND TREMENDOUS WORK IN ADDRESSING THIS IMMEDIATE THREAT TO OUR COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SAFETY.
NOW I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE LIEUTENANT PAST PAT LIC.
HE IS WITH OUR ORGANIZED CRIME DIVISION NARCOTICS SUPPORT UNIT.
HE IS GOING TO GO INTO THE UPDATE ON WHERE THE INVESTIGATION IS AT THIS POINT.
UH, I WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT THIS IS AN ACTIVE ONGOING INVESTIGATION.
UH, THERE ARE SOME DETAILS THAT WE NEED TO WITHHOLD TO ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF THE INVESTIGATION.
YESTERDAY WERE NOTIFIED BY OFFICERS FROM THE DOWNTOWN AREA COMMAND, UM, CONCERNING AN INCREASE OF OVERDOSES WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
DETECTIVES FROM THE NARCOTIC SUPPORT UNIT RESPONDED DOWNTOWN TO INVESTIGATE THE SOURCE OF THESE NARCOTICS.
DURING THE COURSE OF THEIR INVESTIGATION, TWO INDIVIDUALS WERE DETAINED AND ONE RESULTING IN ARREST FOR FELON IN POSSESSION OF A FIREARM.
FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED FOR ADDITIONAL CHARGES ON THESE INDIVIDUALS.
THE A PD NARCOTIC SUPPORT UNIT IS INVESTIGATING THE SOURCE OF THE ILLICIT NARCOTICS AND WORKING TO IDENTIFY ANY POTENTIAL DEALER OR DEALERS.
OUR PARTNERS WITH THE DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION AND THE ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HAVE ALSO OFFERED THEIR SUPPORT.
ALSO IN THIS INVESTIGATION, ANYONE FOUND RESPONSIBLE FOR DISTRIBUTING THE SUSPECTED FENTANYL FACES, POTENTIAL CHARGES OF MURDER OR MANUFACTURER DELIVERY OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE CAUSING DEATH OR SERIOUS BODILY INJURY.
FENTANYL OVERDOSES HAVE AFFECTED, HAVE HAD AN EFFECT ON THIS COMMUNITY AND IS A MAJOR CONCERN OF THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
A PD NARCOTIC SUPPORT UNIT ACTIVELY INVESTIGATES FENTANYL OVERDOSES, OVERDOSE DEATHS FOR THE PURPOSE OF HOLDING THE DEALERS OF THIS DEADLY DRUG ACCOUNTABLE.
TO DATE, THE NARCOTIC SUPPORT UNIT HAS FILED, UH, FIVE CHARGES RELATED TO FENTANYL OVERDOSE DEATHS.
AND NOW I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY HEALTH AUTHORITY, DR.
WE'VE LOST, UM, MOTHERS, FATHERS, SONS AND DAUGHTERS, UM, DUE TO THE EVENTS OF YESTERDAY.
AND I COME TO YOU TODAY TO STRESS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT I CAN TO ANYONE THAT'S LISTENING TO US TODAY.
ANYONE CAN BE AN A VICTIM OF AN OVERDOSE.
UM, IF YOU'RE USING OR FIGHTING AN ADDICTION, YOU SHOULD NEVER USE BY YOURSELF.
HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER OR A FRIEND WITH YOU WHO COULD ADMINISTER NALOXONE AND CALL 9 1 1 TO SAVE YOUR LIFE.
IT IS IMPOR ALSO IMPORTANT THAT ALL OF US KNOW THE SIGNS OF AN OVERDOSE SO THAT WE CAN TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND CALL 9 1 1 IMMEDIATELY.
SO THOSE SIGNS ARE SMALL PUPILS, SLOW BREATHING OR NOT BREATHING AT ALL.
COOL AND PALE SKIN AND NOT RESPONDING, OR VERY LOW RESPONSE LEVEL TO, UM, STIMULUS.
IF YOU'RE NOT QUITE SURE, UH, GIVING NALOXONE WILL SAVE A LIFE.
AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAS BEEN RECEIVING FUNDING FROM CONGRESSMAN LLOYD DOGGETT THROUGH THE SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION OR SAMHSA TO COMBAT THIS CRISIS.
AND AS WAS SAID EARLIER, THAT HAS GONE A LONG WAY TO HELP US PREPARE FOR DAYS SUCH AS WHAT WE HAD YESTERDAY.
THIS FUNDING OF OVER $2 MILLION HAS ALLOWED US TO ALLOCATE 30,000 DOSES IN A NALOXONE TO VARIOUS COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
AND IT IS ALSO SUPPORTING OUR, UH, COMMUNITY'S EFFORTS TO SUPPORT PEER RECOVERY SPECIALISTS AND HARM REDUCTION TEAMS. UM, IN OUR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, COMMUNITIES FOR
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RECOVERY AND TEXAS HARM REDUCTION ALLIANCE TO NAME A FEW.THIS FUNDING ALSO SUPPORTS AUC ADDICTION TREATMENT AND HARM REDUCTION TRAINING THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN SCHOOL OF PHARMACY.
THROUGH TEAMS THAT ARE TRAINING, UM, LOCAL PROVIDERS IN EMERGENCY ROOMS AND IN PRIMARY CARE OFFICES ON THE THINGS THAT THEY CAN DO TO PREVENT AND TREAT ADDICTION.
FINALLY, WE ARE PROVIDING OVERDOSE AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY.
I'M GONNA END THIS STATEMENT BY REPEATING MYSELF.
ANYONE, ANYONE CAN BE A VICTIM OF AN OVERDOSE, NEVER TAKE DRUGS ALONE.
IF YOU THINK SOMEONE MAY BE OVERDOSING, CALL 9 1 1 AND TAKE STEPS.
AND IF YOU'RE CARRYING NALOXONE, USE IT.
I'M DR. KEITH PINKARD, CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER FOR TRAVIS COUNTY, BEGINNING AT APPROXIMATELY 1:00 AM ON MONDAY MORNING THROUGH ABOUT 4:00 AM THIS MORNING.
WE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE INVESTIGATION OF EIGHT, UH, SUDDEN UNEXPECTED DEATHS THAT ARE SUSPICIOUS FOR DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS.
OUR INVESTIGATION OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE INVOLVES GOING TO THE SCENE OF THE EVENT AND INVESTIGATING THE SCENE, CIRCUMSTANCES AND HISTORY SURROUNDING THAT EVENT.
PUT IT INTO CONTEXT WITHIN THE BROADER PICTURE OF OUR DEATH INVESTIGATION AND AUTOPSY.
THE EIGHT CASES THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING, UH, WERE LOCATED, UH, DOWNTOWN AND IN SOUTHEAST AND NORTHERN PARTS OF AUSTIN.
SOME OF THEM WERE TRANSIENT INDIVIDUALS AND THE HISTORIES PROVIDED, UH, RAISED SUSPICION THAT THESE CASES, UH, MAY IN FACT BE TO DRUG OVERDOSES.
SOME OF THE DEC DESCENDS WERE ACTUALLY WITH OTHER INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE ALSO USING SUBSTANCES, AND THOSE OTHER INDIVIDUALS WERE TAKEN TO HOSPITALS FOR TREATMENT.
THE AUTOPSIES ON ALL EIGHT OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS, UH, WERE CONDUCTED, UH, EITHER YESTERDAY OR TODAY.
IN FACT, SOME OF THEM ARE GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
UH, THE AUTOPSY DOES TAKE SOME TIME TO COMPLETE.
HOWEVER, WE ALSO HAVE OUR OWN TOXICOLOGY LAB OR THE TOXICOLOGY TESTING WILL BE TAKING PLACE AND WE HOPE TO GET PRELIMINARY RESULTS ON WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN IN THEIR SYSTEMS IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
ALRIGHT, THAT'S EVERYONE WHO'S HAS STATEMENTS, BUT IF Y'ALL HAVE QUESTIONS, WELL START CVS.
SO WE HAVE FOUR CONFIRMED DEATHS FROM OVERDOSES, BUT POSSIBLY EIGHT DEATHS.
THERE ARE EIGHT DEATHS THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN THAT 27 HOUR PERIOD THAT I JUST REFERENCED, WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE ALL IN FACT, DRUG RELATED DEATHS.
WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE TOXICOLOGY TESTING AND THE COMPLETION OF THE AUTOPSY REPORTS.
WE ARE INVESTIGATING THOSE EIGHT DEATHS AS SUSPICIOUS.
ARE YOU GONNA TOUCH ON THE SPECIFIC TYPES OF SUBSTANCES INVOLVED IN WHETHER THERE IS ONE SUBSTANCE THAT IS MORE ADULT RATED, WELL DELIBERATED THAN THE OTHER ONES? SO YOU'RE WAITING ON THE TOXICOLOGY TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY RESPONSE ON THAT? AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T KNOW THE EXACT SUBSTANCE.
UM, BUT BASED ON THE SYMPTOMS THAT WERE BEING SHOWED FROM THE VICTIMS, WE DO BELIEVE IT'S SOME SORT OF OPI OPIOID.
IS THERE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA ON THOSE
UH, NOT ALL OF THE PEOPLE ARE IDENTIFIED.
UM, AND IN GENERAL, UH, THE AGE RANGES ARE FROM THE MID THIRTIES TO THE MID FIFTIES.
I CAN SPEAK TO SOME OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS AS FAR AS THE PEOPLE THAT WERE EXPERIENCING AN OVERDOSE.
FORTUNATELY TO DATE, NO PEDIATRIC PATIENTS.
HOWEVER, THE AGE RANGES DID VARY FROM TWENTIES TO FIFTIES.
UH, AND ACROSS ALL, UH, ETHNIC DEMOGRAPHICS AS WELL.
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WERE PATIENTS THAT WERE HOUSED.UH, THERE WERE PATIENTS THAT WERE AT THEIR WORKPLACE AND THERE WERE PATIENTS THAT WERE OUT IN PUBLIC ACCESSIBLE SPACES AS WELL.
UH, IT WAS NOT LIMITED TO ONE GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION.
WE DID NOTICE THAT THERE WERE SOME SPOTS THAT HAD A HIGHER DENSITY OF OVERDOSES, BUT IT WAS SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY ION FOR, IF YOU GUYS CAN'T SAY THIS INVESTIGATION, BUT DO WE THINK IT STARTED IN ONE PORTION OF THE CITY AND JUST KIND OF SPREAD FROM, BECAUSE YOU SLOWLY WENT DIFFERENT PLACES? IT'S STILL TOO EARLY TO, TO MAKE THAT DETERMINATION.
UM, BUT IT'S NOT COMMON TO SEE IT IN ONE LOCATION AND THEN POP UP IN OTHERS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, THIS KIND OF FOLLOWING, BUT HE WAS MENTIONING, UH, YOU DID MENTION OPIOID.
CAN WE DO WE BELIEVE SUSPECTED FENTANYL IS, IS INVOLVED IN THIS BASED ON THE TRENDS OF WHAT'S GOING ON WITH A OPIOID, UH, OPIOID, I CANNOT SAY THE WORD.
UM, INCIDENT THAT WE'RE HAVING, IT'S MOST LIKELY GONNA BE FENTANYL, BUT UNTIL WE GET TOXICOLOGY FROM THE AMY'S OFFICE, WE ARE NOT GONNA SAY, WE CAN'T SAY, UH, FOR CERTAIN, DID THAT JUST TO, IS IT SUBJECT THAT THEY WERE INVOLVED IN
UM, THE DETECTIVES HAVE TO GO THROUGH, UH, MOUNTAINS OF EVIDENCE TO BE ABLE TO, UM, COME UP WITH PROBABLE CAUSE TO POTENTIALLY CHARGE THEM FURTHER.
I KNOW YOU'RE EARLY IN THE INVESTIGATION, BUT CAN YOU TELL US DOES THIS LOOK LIKE SOMETHING THAT IS MANUFACTURED HERE IN THE AUSTIN AREA OR CAME IN FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE? AS FAR AS THE DRUGS THAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE UNABLE TO KNOW THAT RIGHT NOW.
SO HAVE YOU'VE SEEN, UH, AN INCREASE IN THESE CALLS? HAVE YOU STARTED TO SEE A DECREASE SINCE THE LAST TWO DAYS? UM, I'M NOT SURE CURRENTLY, UH, THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE FOR EMS ON THE FREQUENCY OF THE CALLS RIGHT NOW.
UH, WHEN WE STARTED SEEING, UH, THE INCREASE IN OPIATE CALLS, THAT WAS REALLY BETWEEN NINE AND 10:00 AM YESTERDAY, ABOUT 10 TO 11:00 PM LAST NIGHT IS WHEN WE STARTED TO SEE IT DECREASE.
THEN IT CONTINUED TO DECREASE OVERNIGHT AND THEN A SLIGHT BUMP THIS MORNING.
UM, BUT IT IS A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER NUMBER TODAY THAN IT WAS YESTERDAY.
ARE THERE, YES, THERE ARE FREE NARCAN KITS AT, UM, DISPENSING, UM, MACHINE MACHINE DISPENSERS ACROSS THE CITY, AND PEOPLE THAT HAVE MAP CARDS CAN GET FREE NARCAN AT HEB LOCATIONS AND AT COMMUNITY CARE PHARMACIES.
HOW MANY ODS THAT OCCURRED THAT WERE NOT FAILED? DID SURVIVOR, DID YOU HAVE SURVIVORS? HOW MANY? SO OUT OF THE 51 OVERDOSES THAT WERE RESPOND TO YESTERDAY, ONLY FOUR DID NOT SURVIVE.
UM, PATROL OFFICERS ARE THE ONES TO ADMINISTER HELP SAVE THESE PEOPLE.
DO ALL PATROL OFFICERS CARRY NARCAN ON THE YEAH.
SO AS I SAID, IN 2021, WE BEGAN THAT PROGRAM.
THEY'RE ABLE TO CHECK IT OUT AT OUR, UH, OUR PCR PROPERTY CONTROL OFFICES.
AND IN THIS INSTANCE, WE'LL MAKE REMINDERS FOR ALL OFFICERS TO START CHECKING THAT OUT AND CARRY IT ON THEM.
WE'RE GONNA, I KIND OF HEARD THE TERM DEADLY BATCH.
UH, DO WE, DO WE KNOW HOW MUCH IS OUT THERE RIGHT NOW? WE DON'T.
THE FOUR DEATHS THAT I'M REFERRING TO ARE PATIENTS THAT WE ACTUALLY ATTEMPTED TO RESUSCITATE AND SAVE AND WERE UNABLE TO, UH, IT IS THE FOUR THAT ARE INSIDE OF THE, THE DEATHS THAT ARE BEING REPORTED HERE.
SO IT'S NOT IN ADDITION, IT'S PART OF THE, THE LARGER NUMBER, BUT IT IS FOUR THAT WE WERE UNABLE TO, UH, REVIVE.
SO, SO ALL EIGHT OF THOSE ARE, I'M NOT SURE IF, UH, THE 51 ARE ALL REFLECTED INTO THAT, UH, BECAUSE WE DON'T COMPARE, UH, DEMOGRAPHIC DATA AT THIS TIME, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'LL HAVE EVENTUALLY
AND THE TWO PERSON OF INTEREST, YOU SAID FIVE CHARGES.
CAN YOU PLEASE CLARIFY BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO.
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FOR THE INCIDENT YESTERDAY, UM, THE INVESTIGATION OF THE NARCOTICS SUPPORT UNIT, UH, ONE CHARGE WAS FILED ON ONE INDIVIDUAL FOR FELON AND POSSESSION OF A FIREARM.NOW THEY'RE GONNA CONTINUE THEIR INVESTIGATION WITH POTENTIAL CHARGES, AND THOSE CHARGES CAN RANGE FROM ANYWHERE FROM POSSESSION OR DELIVERY OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, ALL THE WAY UP TO MURDER OR DELIVERY OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE CAUSING SERIOUS BODILY INJURY OR DEATH.
AND THAT'S SPOKE TO ONE INDIVIDUAL? THAT'S RIGHT.
OR WAS THERE ANOTHER PERSON? THERE WERE TWO PEOPLE DETAINED AT THAT TIME.
SO, UH, WE'RE NOT RULING OUT ANYBODY.
UM, DURING OUR INVESTIGATION, IF MORE COME UP, WE'RE DEFINITELY GONNA BE ADDRESSING THAT AS WELL.
IF YOU ALL NEED ANYTHING ELSE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO FOLLOW UP WITH THIS.
UH, BUT JUST LET YOU KNOW IF YOU ALL NEED ANYTHING.
JUST ONE THING, JUST WANT TO GIVE A, A THANK YOU TO THE TEXAS HARM REDUCTION ALLIANCE THAT A COUPLE YEARS AGO INVITED ME, COMMISSIONER GOMEZ, DR.
WALK SOME OTHERS TO A TOWN HALL WHERE THEY DEMANDED A RESPONSE FROM THE CITY AND THE COUNTY ON THIS.
AND I THINK HAD THEY NOT DONE THAT, FRANKLY, WE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN AS PREPARED AS, UH, THAT EMS CHIEF, UH, TOLD US.
UH, AND IT, AND IT WOULD'VE BEEN MUCH WORSE.
SO I WANT TO GIVE A THANK YOU TO THAT GROUP, UH, NOT ONLY FOR THAT ACTIVISM, BUT ALSO FOR THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING TO HAND OUT NARCAN AND, AND THE OTHER COMMUNITY GROUPS THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER.