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Austin police officer Christopher Taylor convicted of deadly conduct (www.kut.org)

submitted 2 weeks ago by JoMiran@lemmy.ml to c/thepoliceproblem@lemmy.world

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A Travis County jury found Austin police officer Christopher Taylor guilty of deadly conduct Saturday. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

“We hope this outcome continues to help the DeSilva family with their healing process,” Travis County District Attorney José Garza said in a statement. “Our office is grateful to our dedicated staff who worked tirelessly to hold the defendant accountable and seek justice for the victim and their family. We further hope this verdict allows the community to heal and that we can move forward together."

Taylor was indicted for the killing of Mauris DeSilva, a 46-year-old neuroscientist, in July 2019.

Taylor and another officer, Karl Krycia, responded to 911 calls about DeSilva having a mental health crisis and holding a knife to his own neck at a downtown condominium.

The officers fatally shot DeSilva after he refused to drop the knife, KUT previously reported.

Taylor was originally indicted for the murder of DeSilva, but the charge was lessened to deadly conduct just a week before testimony began.

"The Austin Police Department respects the criminal justice process and understands this is a difficult time for all who have been impacted," APD said in a statement.

A judge will decide Taylor's sentencing date on Oct. 15.

Taylor was also indicted for the killing of Michael Ramos, an unarmed Black and Hispanic man, in April 2020.

Taylor was tried for murder in that case in 2023, but it ended in a hung jury. A grand jury declined to re-indict him for murder in that case, but he could be retried on lesser charges.

top 7 comments

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[-] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 21 points 2 weeks ago

I expect the governor to pardon him and say that "liberal Austin" is out of control or something like it.

[-] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 4 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah, that sounds like Abbott.

[-] TexasDrunk@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

That sounds Abbott right.

[-] tacosanonymous@lemm.ee 18 points 2 weeks ago

Wtaf? This guy was threatening to harm himself so the police showed up and killed him. Just insane that this shit is routinely supported.

[-] kautau@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

And it's not just "an isolated incident." As above:

Taylor was also indicted for the killing of Michael Ramos, an unarmed Black and Hispanic man, in April 2020.

This guy is a fucking murderer that wants to murder people and the system supports people like that as long as they have a high school diploma, attend 3 months or so of "training" which is often "how to be ready to kill people" (https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/08/warrior-cop-class-dave-grossman-killology.html), and finally agree to keep their uniforms in tip-top shape when they shoot people.

[-] MutilationWave@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Someone should convict his barber.

[-] Agrivar@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Yay Amerikkka!

this post was submitted on 05 Oct 2024

112 points (100.0% liked)

THE POLICE PROBLEM

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The police problem is that police are policed by the police. Cops are accountable only to other cops, which is no accountability at all.

99.9999% of police brutality, corruption, and misconduct is never investigated, never punished, never makes the news, so it's not on this page.

When cops are caught breaking the law, they're investigated by other cops. Details are kept quiet, the officers' names are withheld from public knowledge, and what info is eventually released is only what police choose to release — often nothing at all.

When police are fired — which is all too rare — they leave with 'law enforcement experience' and can easily find work in another police department nearby. It's called "Wandering Cops."

When police testify under oath, they lie so frequently that cops themselves have a joking term for it: "testilying." Yet it's almost unheard of for police to be punished or prosecuted for perjury.

Cops can and do get away with lawlessness, because cops protect other cops. If they don't, they aren't cops for long.

The legal doctrine of "qualified immunity" renders police officers invulnerable to lawsuits for almost anything they do. In practice, getting past 'qualified immunity' is so unlikely, it makes headlines when it happens.

All this is a path to a police state.

In a free society, police must always be under serious and skeptical public oversight, with non-cops and non-cronies in charge, issuing genuine punishment when warranted.

Police who break the law must be prosecuted like anyone else, promptly fired if guilty, and barred from ever working in law-enforcement again.

That's the solution.

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