Austin Police Officer Is Charged With Murder in a Second On-Duty Killing

A constabulary serviceman successful Austin, Texas, who was charged with murdering a antheral successful April 2020 has been charged with murdering different antheral astir 9 months earlier, prosecutors said connected Friday.

The latest indictments complaint the officer, Christopher Taylor, 29, and different officer, Karl Krycia, 28, with execution and deadly behaviour successful the fatal shooting of Mauris DeSilva, 46, who had been holding a weapon successful the hallway of his condominium analyzable connected July 31, 2019.

The charges came 5 months aft Officer Taylor had been charged with fatally shooting Michael Ramos, 42, extracurricular an Austin flat analyzable connected April 24, 2020.

The sidesplitting of Mr. Ramos, who was Black and Hispanic, acceptable disconnected protests against constabulary unit successful Austin astir a period earlier the execution of George Floyd successful Minneapolis catalyzed planetary demonstrations against constabulary brutality and systemic racism.

Mr. DeSilva had terrible intelligence unwellness and had been holding a weapon to his cervix erstwhile radical successful the gathering called 911, according to a suit filed by his begetter that accuses Officers Taylor and Krycia of knowing that Mr. DeSilva was experiencing a intelligence wellness situation and yet inactive responding “as if this were the country of a convulsive crime.”

Officer Taylor’s lawyers argued that helium had been protecting himself aft Mr. DeSilva refused to driblet the weapon and came wrong 3 oregon 4 feet of the officer.

“What happened was undoubtedly tragic, peculiarly if it is existent the antheral was experiencing a psychiatric episode, but successful nary mode was this murder,” the lawyers, Ken Ervin and Doug O’Connell, said successful a statement.

They accused José Garza, a erstwhile national nationalist defender who was elected Travis County territory lawyer successful November 2020, of “waging a warfare connected constabulary officers.”

Mr. Garza’s bureau responded by noting that, since January, 12 officers whose perchance transgression behaviour had been reviewed by a expansive assemblage did not extremity up facing charges.

Jason English, a lawyer for Officer Krycia, said successful a statement, “While we are atrocious immoderate clip that a beingness is lost, we bash judge that the actions were tenable nether the facts and justified nether the law.”

Officer Krycia has been placed connected paid administrative duty, Austin’s constabulary chief, Joseph Chacon, said. Officer Taylor remains connected permission without wage successful transportation with the sidesplitting of Mr. Ramos, helium said.

“APD respects the relation the expansive assemblage holds successful the transgression justness process and volition proceed to cooperate with the District Attorney’s Office connected this case,” Chief Chacon said successful a connection that noted that the officers were presumed innocent.

Lawyers for Mr. DeSilva’s father, Denzil DeSilva, said the charges would statesman to assistance him heal.

“Due to the excessive unit utilized by Austin Police Department officers, Denzil mislaid a beloved son, and the satellite mislaid a talented idiosyncratic and researcher,” the father’s lawyers said successful a statement.

Mr. DeSilva grew up successful Sri Lanka and had a doctorate successful biomedical engineering, according to the father’s lawsuit. He besides suffered from “increasingly terrible intelligence illness” during the past years of his life, which the Austin constabulary knew about, according to the lawsuit.

In February 2015, Mr. DeSilva grabbed a weapon and threatened to wounded himself, and the Austin constabulary responded, taking him to a hospital. In May 2019, helium required “an emotionally disturbed person” involution by the police, and connected July 7, 2019, conscionable weeks earlier helium was fatally shot, helium was committed to exigency detention, according to the lawsuit.

On the time Mr. DeSilva was killed, a neighbour called 911 to study that Mr. DeSilva was having “another intelligence episode” and asked that a intelligence wellness serviceman beryllium dispatched, according to the lawsuit. Several others who saw Mr. DeSilva holding a weapon to his cervix besides called 911.

Austin had a intelligence wellness serviceman connected work astatine the time, but Officers Taylor and Krycia and 2 different officers responded instead, the suit states. They spoke to gathering workers, reviewed information footage and knew that Mr. DeSilva was experiencing a intelligence wellness crisis, the suit states.

After taking an elevator to the 5th level with a gathering worker, the officers recovered Mr. DeSilva successful the hallway, with his backmost to them, looking successful a reflector with a weapon to his neck, according to the lawsuit.

Officers Taylor and Krycia shouted astatine Mr. DeSilva to driblet the knife, and helium lowered it. Officers past shouted, “Hey, man,” and Mr. DeSilva took 1 measurement successful their direction, the suit states.

Another serviceman fired a Taser astatine Mr. DeSilva, and Officers Taylor and Krycia simultaneously fired aggregate shots astatine Mr. Desilva, striking him successful the chest, the suit states. Mr. DeSilva was pronounced dormant astatine a hospital.

After gathering extracurricular the flat complex, helium and a fig of different officers confronted Mr. Ramos.

Dashboard camera video released by the constabulary past twelvemonth shows officers repeatedly ordering Mr. Ramos to enactment his hands up and measurement retired of the car. Mr. Ramos tin beryllium seen getting retired with his hands up. Officers past archer him to assistance up his garment and crook astir successful a circle, which helium did.

Mr. Ramos waves his hands and yells astatine the officers, asking astatine 1 point, “What’s going on?” He besides yells, “I ain’t got nary gun, dog!” with an expletive added.

An serviceman fired a legume container astatine Mr. Ramos, striking him successful the thigh, the authorities said. Mr. Ramos past got backmost into the car and drove guardant arsenic officers yelled astatine him not to leave.

Officer Taylor fired 3 rounds from his firearm astatine Mr. Ramos’s moving car, striking him, the constabulary said. Emergency aesculapian workers took Mr. Ramos to a hospital, wherever helium was pronounced dead.

The Austin constabulary confirmed aft the shooting that Mr. Ramos had not had a gun. Mr. Ervin said that Officer Taylor planned to plead not blameworthy successful the fatal shooting of Mr. Ramos.