In a recent development, the Travis County District Attorney's Office has announced that the trial of Austin Police Department officer Christopher Taylor will not proceed. According to KVUE, this decision comes after a grand jury did not return an indictment against Taylor on several new charges, including aggravated assault.
Last fall's attempt to reach a conclusive verdict in Taylor's case resulted in a deadlock, sparking a mistrial after the jury reported their inability to reach a unanimous decision. Following this, and a prior mistrial, the grand jury's latest session on June 25 resulted in no charges being brought forward. This prompted the prosecutors to halt the impending trial that was scheduled for September 23. Taylor was facing a first-degree murder charge for the death of Michael Ramos who was shot in April 2020, after police claimed Ramos disobeyed orders and attempted to drive away. The incident added fuel to Austin's social justice movement, and in a statement obtained by KVUE, Travis County District Attorney José Garza expressed his disappointment: "We are surprised and disappointed at this result, but we also respect the grand jury's decision and time," and acknowledged the ongoing grief of the Ramos family.
Further reporting by FOX 7 Austin revealed that the grand jury had been tasked with re-evaluating the case for potential murder, among other charges. Despite the state's efforts to present evidence and witness testimony during the near two-week trial three years prior, which aimed to show that Taylor's actions in the incident were not justified, the grand jury concluded their review with no true bills issued against Taylor.
In the meantime, Officer Taylor has been serving on administrative duty since late December. Aside from the Ramos case, Taylor is also facing another murder charge related to the 2019 shooting of Mauris DeSilva. DeSilva was allegedly brandishing a knife and moving toward officers, resulting in Taylor, and another officer, opening fire. DeSilva's family has contended that he was suffering a mental health crisis during the incident. As of now, the future proceedings of this separate case remain undetermined.
