Woman shot by off-duty APD officer in 2021 reaches settlement with City of Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Following a January 2023 lawsuit, the Austin City Council approved a $550,000 settlement with Jessica Arellano, who was shot in January 2021 by an off-duty Austin Police officer while riding as a passenger in a car.

Edwards Law, the firm that handled Arellano’s “use of excessive force” lawsuit, provided a statement regarding the settlement:

“While Austin police found a gun in the car and the off-duty officer claimed the driver pointed it at him, it was undisputed that Jessica Arellano was an innocent passenger who had done nothing wrong.”

The city previously filed a motion to have itself dismissed from the case, but a judge issued an order denying the motion on March 27. Edwards Law said that after the judge’s order was issued, Arellano and the city settled the case.

During the same 2021 incident, Alex Gonzales, Jr., the driver of the vehicle, was shot and killed by a different police officer, KXAN previously reported.

“Ms. Arellano should never have been shot. While she will live with the pain for the rest of her life, we are pleased the Austin City Council did the right thing and resolved her case,” said Jeff Edwards, Arellano’s attorney. “Hopefully, [the judge’s] recent order and this settlement will encourage the City to reflect and change the way APD investigates shootings.”