The death penalty will be sought against Brandon Daniel, the 24-year-old suspect in the killing of Austin police officer Jaime Padron, according to District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg.

Officer Padron was shot and killed in April while responding to a call involving an intoxicated man at a Walmart near the intersection of Interstate 35 and Parmer Lane.

Police say Daniel and Padron had a confrontation. They fought, and Padron was shot one time in the neck. Two Walmart employees then wrested with Daniel and were able to take the gun from him, but not before Daniel fire two more shots. No one else was injured.

In the days following, a conflicted image of Daniel emerged.

His mother, Mary O’Dell, told media her son was a talented software engineer who was struggling with depression stemming from a bitter breakup with a longtime girlfriend. According to O’Dell, the 24-year-old had been abusing alcohol and the prescription anti-anxiety medication Xanax, and had been mixing the two.

According to an arrest affidavit, Daniel told his roommate Kelvin Davis hours before the deadly shooting that he was considering robbing a store. Daniel told Davis that he had "gotten away with" more serious crimes before and that he flees from police on his bike “almost daily.”

The affidavit also described a cooperative Daniel, admitting spontaneously that he had “killed a cop” and that he had more ammunition for the pistol in his North Austin apartment.

Officer Padron worked for the Austin Police Department for about three years. He previously served with the San Angelo Police Department for 14 years, and was a security officer at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport before joining APD.