A group of men fatally beat a passenger in a car that police said accidentally struck a child outside an East Austin apartment complex, police said today.

As many as 3,000 people were in the area following a Juneteenth celebration at the time, officials said. Austin police Cmdr. Harold Piatt estimated that dozens were in the parking lot of the Booker T. Washington apartment complex at the time and that preliminary information shows no witnesses apparently tried to prevent or stop the attack.

"At this point, we aren't aware that any person did anything to stop the assault or prevent the injuries," he said.

Piatt said investigators are still trying to question people who might have seen the attack.

Police said officers responded to a "person down" call at 9:30 p.m. and that when they arrived, they found David Rivas Morales, 40, with trauma to his body. He was taken to Brackenridge Hospital and pronounced dead.

Investigators said the assault apparently occurred after the driver of the car struck a child in a parking lot at 900 Thompson St. The child, a 3-year-old boy, was treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.

Witnesses told investigators that a group of men assaulted Morales when he stepped out of the car to try to stop the crowd from assaulting the driver, who had gotten out of the car. Piatt said it was unclear if the driver was aware he'd struck the child.

The driver, whose name has not been released, was able to leave the area in the car. Police later found him and the car.

"This is an anomaly for Austin, Piatt said. "When you have someone just beaten to death in a parking lot."

Morales' sister, Margaret Morales, who lives in an apartment complex where the incident happened, said her brother was riding home with a man she knew only as "Victor" from a painting job. She said a child came to her door shortly after the incident and told her what happened.

Morales said that when she showed up at the scene, she found her brother bleeding from the head.

"He was a loving, caring man," Margaret Morales said as she fought back tears while standing on her porch. "I don't know why anyone would want to do this; I can't imagine him gone out of our lives forever."

Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 477-3588.

"We know we had a number of folks who saw something," Piatt said. "Hopefully there are some good Samaritans who are as upset about we are about what happened."