Investigation alleges former Pflugerville police chief pointed gun at lieutenant's leg
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Pflugerville announced that a third-party completed an investigation into former Police Chief Jason O’Malley, who allegedly pointed a gun at an employee's leg in April, according to a press release Wednesday.
The city said the investigation began on April 29 after an incident on April 23. Private Investigator Donald Baker, a retired Austin Police commander, conducted the investigation.
“While the actions in question did not endanger the public, they did not align with the expectations we hold for leadership in our police department," said Pflugerville City Manager Sereniah Breland in the release. "We took immediate and appropriate action to address this with the seriousness it deserves."
KXAN is working to contact the former chief and two commanders named in the report. We'll update this story when we receive a reply.
The April 23 incident
In his report, Baker wrote that a Pflugerville Police Department employee made a complaint against O'Malley during an exit interview.
According to Baker, employees gave accounts that O'Malley "brandished a firearm and made threats toward an employee that he should shoot the employee in the foot." The names of the employee and another employee who witnessed the incident have been redacted by KXAN.
"On April 23, 2025, in a city police building, Chief O’Malley entered [a sergeant]’s office while accompanied by Commander Makeba Lewis. [A lieutenant] was already in the office with [the sergeant]," Baker wrote in his report. "According to employee statements, after making a comment to [the lieutenant], O’Malley drew his Staccato 2011 firearm ... He pointed the firearm at an angle toward [the lieutenant]’s feet and legs, threatening to shoot him in the foot."
Baker noted that [the lieutenant] and [the sergeant] "expressed surprise and discomfort with the unprovoked encounter."
"O’Malley re-holstered his weapon, smirked, and left the room," Baker's report continues.
Following the incident, Lewis and Jared Thyssen, another Pflugerville Police Commander, resigned from the department, the report said. The city's release notes that [the lieutenant] declined to pursue criminal charges against O'Malley.
Report gives recommendations
The report concludes that O'Malley acted in a pattern of "unprofessional conduct" and "serious misconduct."
"The investigation discovered a pattern of unprofessional conduct by Chief O’Malley during his tenure to include a lax attitude toward weapon safety protocol inside a municipal facility, inappropriate language and gestures at the workplace, a decrease in professionalism in the workplace, and a sense of fear of retaliation by police employees if they reported O’Malley’s misconduct," Baker's report states.
As commanders, Lewis and Thyssen were required by departmental policy to take action to handle O'Malley's alleged conduct.
Baker didn't recommend the city change any policies; however, he told Pflugerville to implement additional trainings for its police department employees. Specifically, Baker recommended trainings "on professional conduct, mental health awareness, proper weapon storage and security, and their duty to report misconduct."
He also suggested that the city "should immediately focus" on fixing the internal culture of its police department.
"This should include a review and update of all relevant policies and training on acceptable workplace conduct, the use of firearms in a police building, and the proper procedure for reporting misconduct without the fear of retribution," he wrote.
Baker also called for new policy related to "administrative or restricted duty when administered as part of a critical incident."