Robert Francis Mesch, a 61-year-old white male, died on January 23, 2015, in Austin, Texas, after an officer-involved shooting. The sequence began when Mesch’s wife called police about 3:30 a.m., saying he had threatened to kill himself and had threatened her; she was found bloodied from an assault and escorted to safety. Officers later spotted Mesch driving a pickup and attempted a stop. He failed to stop and led officers on a roughly ten-mile pursuit. A tire-deflation device flattened one tire, but he continued on the rim and finally pulled off near a Walgreens on South Congress Street, just north of West Slaughter Lane.

When Mesch exited his truck he was holding a revolver. Officer Daniel Hannah ordered him to drop the weapon; Mesch ignored commands and raised the gun. Officer Hannah fired three rounds, striking Mesch twice. Paramedics responded and Mesch was pronounced dead at the scene. The Travis County District Attorney’s Office investigated and a grand jury in November 2015 declined to indict Officer Hannah, finding the shooting justified.

Are there readers who knew Mesch or who were in that area that night and can share information about his actions earlier that evening?