Police charge 16-year-old with murder in death of girl in Austin

Want to see more of NewsNation? Get 24/7 fact-based news coverage with the NewsNation app or add NewsNation as a preferred source on Google!

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In an update Wednesday, the Austin Police Department said it arrested a 16-year-old boy in connection with the Monday death of a 16-year-old girl. The boy has been charged with murder.

APD said officers initially responded around 6 p.m. to calls about a shooting at the Bridge at Harris Ridge Apartments located at 1501 East Howard Lane.

At the scene, officers found a victim, later identified as Za’Riyah Sheffield, with apparent gunshot wounds. She died at the scene, according to APD.

An investigation by Homicide Detectives and Crime Scene Specialists determined the boy accused the victim of “simply looking at him.” Police said a verbal disturbance escalated into the suspect shooting and killing Sheffield and then running away.

According to police, the suspect later returned to the area and was arrested by officers.

Crime

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20260112181412