Texas murder suspect was previously arrested, released on personal bonds due to Austin policies

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A man accused of shooting two people, killing one and paralyzing the other, in Austin, Texas, earlier this month was out on bond in two different felony charges, according to records Fox News Digital has obtained.

Nathan Nevah Ramirez, 18, is charged with murder and aggravated assault in an Aug. 6 shooting that left 20-year-old Dionysius E. Thompson dead and 19-year-old Josh Noriega paralyzed.

Nathan Ramirez (Austin Police Department)

Police responded to a parking lot at 400 E. 7th Street in Austin just after 2 a.m. on Saturday, August 6, according to court records. A subject involved in the scuffle identified Ramirez as the shooting suspect and police arrested him at his apartment, according to court records.

Officers allegedly found a loaded Glock 22, a case of .40-caliber bullets, various drugs, and more than $8,000 in cash. Ramirez was arrested and charged with unlawful carrying of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance but was released Monday on a personal recognizance bond.

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Two days later, ballistics experts identified the Glock 22 seized from Ramirez as the same gun used in the Aug. 6 homicide, according to authorities. Ramirez was arrested again and charged with first-degree murder and second-degree aggravated assault – both felonies.

Records show Ramirez was arrested twice – on May 26, 2022, and June 10, 2022 – for unlawful carrying of a weapon, and possession of a controlled substance but was let out on bond. 

An Austin police cruiser (Austin Police Department)

A municipal court judge had granted Ramirez bail on the condition that he not possess any firearms or engage in criminal activity, The Texan reported. During bond proceedings, the court gave him "indigent" status, whereby the Austin municipal court prioritizes low cash bonds to poor offenders per city policy.

The Austin City Council passed this directive to the municipal court in 2017, according to The Texan. Judges who protested the policy were not renewed for another term, The Texan reported.

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Online records show Ramirez is in custody at the Travis County Jail on a $1 million bond. His pretrial for the unlawful carrying of a firearm is set for Aug. 26.

The Texan was the first to report on this story.