Austin Police Identify Man Fatally Shot in Homeless Camp

Austin police have identified the victim of a shooting death in a homeless camp in Northeast Austin over the weekend. Officials identified 53-year-old Benjamin Biesecker as the man who died after suffering multiple gunshot wounds in a Tuesday press release. Biesecker was reportedly pronounced dead on the scene Saturday morning. The investigation has shown that he was shot and killed by an unidentified suspect, who fled the area. APD officials responding to the scene at the time indicated that they did not have enough information to determine whether the gunman posed a further threat to the public. The department is requesting that anyone with information contact the agency. The shooting occurred late Friday night or early Saturday morning, according to an APD spokesperson. Officers responded to a call from the camp at East Braker Lane and Wedgewood Drive shortly after 8 a.m. As of 10:30 a.m., nearly a dozen police units were at the scene, which the spokesperson described as an expensive homeless encampment. The department declined to state whether there have been other incidents at the camp. It is the 11th homicide in Austin so far this year. The 10th occurred early last week, also in Northeast Austin. The deceased man in that incident has reportedly not been identified by APD. Officials found the victim with multiple gunshot wounds a little more than 2 miles from the homeless camp.