Austin man in custody after report of domestic disturbance in which a gun was fired
An Austin man is in custody after authorities responded to a report Sunday evening of a domestic disturbance in which a gun had been fired.
Officers from the Austin Police Department, the Mower County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota State Patrol responded to the incident at a residence in the 1800 block of 4th Avenue Northwest at 8:46 p.m. Sunday evening. Chief of Police Dave McKichan reported that when officers arrived on the scene, several witnesses directed them towards two men who were actively fighting inside the home, and one witness also turned over a .380 caliber pistol to authorities. Chief McKichan stated that the two men were covered in blood, and officers struggled to pull the two men apart to end the fight. He added that the wounds and the bleeding were thought to have been caused by one party allegedly stabbing the other, combined with the possibility that a broken beer bottle was either used in the fight, or was rolled over repeatedly as the men wrestled. McKichan stated that it was believed a single shot was fired from the .380 that struck a door frame.
The two men were transported to Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin for treatment. Chief McKichan stated that 27-year old Raul Zavala of Austin was taken into custody after being treated for his wounds.