The first APD conviction
And a NIMBY & YIMBY PAC.
After three days of deliberation, a Travis County jury convicted APD officer Christopher Taylor of deadly conduct for his role in the 2019 shooting death of Mauris DeSilva in the hallway of the Spring Condos downtown. It is the first time an officer in Austin has ever been convicted for an on-duty shooting.
APD determined that Taylor and the other officers involved in the DeSilva shooting did not violate department policy. Less than a year later, Taylor shot and killed another man –– Mike Ramos –– as he tried to drive away after being confronted by officers in an apartment parking lot. Taylor was indicted for murder in that case but the jury deadlocked on the case; a second grand jury declined to indict Taylor for murder, but prosecutors might pursue lesser charges against him on that case.
Body cam footage of the incident is available 1 minute into this KXAN segment.
The verdict highlights a conflict between what the Austin Police Dept believes is reasonable force and what the community it serves believes is reasonable force.
