South Austin business owner held at gunpoint

This is the last straw. I could have been shot. I mean, what is it going to take? The moment an Austin business owner stared down the barrel of a gun. He was just carrying bags and he was filthy and he was intoxicated. Jeremy Shirk is the owner of Conan's Pizza in South Austin. Last Thursday, he says a homeless man came into his restaurant and began making a mess. Shirk then told the man to get out. And when I was escorting him out into the parking lot to make sure he got off my property, he turned around and he put a gun to my face. Shirk was able to talk the man down and get him to leave. calling APD, who arrested the suspect, now identified as Austin Scheel. As I've dealt with so many violent encounters in this neighborhood, I'm completely desensitized to stuff like this. But Shirk says it's far from the first time he's had encounters like this one along Stassney Lane and blames a large portion of it on a non-profit. The Sunrise Navigation Center assists the homeless with basic needs and housing support, helping as many as 300 people a day in South Austin. It's 1.2 miles away from Conan's Pizza, about a 25-minute walk. But Shirk says since it opened in 2015, it's had a direct impact on safety near his restaurant. It was four months ago. I had someone break in in the middle of the night. I had him on camera. I drove straight over to Sunrise that following morning and saw him in line to receive services from them. Sunrise Navigation Center has since responded in a statement saying in part that we work closely with partners at the City of Austin, Travis County, and every level of law enforcement to increase public safety wherever we work, including working very closely with the Austin Police Department. Every day across Central Texas, Sunrise works with businesses, schools, government, and citizens to constructively address homelessness wherever it is found. Fox 7 has reported on homeless activity close to Conan's Pizza and the Williamson Creek Greenbelt and Westgate neighborhood. While agreeing with the nonprofit's mission, Shirk believes that changes to Sunrise's location are needed. I absolutely agree with what they're doing. I'm totally for helping the unhoused and helping the people that want to improve their lives. I feel like the city should use every tool possible to find a better location that's further away from schools, further away from community.