The 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders

A CBS documentary news crew is on a ride along with Sergeant John Jones of the Austin Police Department in December1991.

Around 11pm a camera rolls on Jones as he gets a call from dispatch. He’s being called to a fire in a commercial building on the other side of town. As he receives the address through his police scanner Jones notes that they’re headed to a strip of shopping centers in North Austin, near North Cross Mall.

Right along I-35, at the intersection of two major highways which separate North Austin from West Austin is a nodal point in the city, where all who come to Austin must pass through on their way in and out of town.

Eyes fixed on the road ahead Jones and the CBS crew listen intently as another call comes in on his police scanner. The initial call “fire in a commercial building” is reclassified as a triple fatality. What does that mean? The footage from that night captures Jone’s as he flips a switch, his siren and lights turning on as he steps on the gas to find out.