Austin Police Officer Christopher Taylor who had been found guilty of deadly conduct in the 2019 shooting of Mauris DeSilva, appeared in court for a sentencing hearing Tuesday. Taylor chose to have his punishment determined by a judge, rather than a jury, with the charge carrying a potential sentence of 2 to 10 years or a fine up to $10,000, as reported by KXAN. Probation remains a possibility, given Taylor's clean prior record.
Jurors previously took four days to deliberate before announcing a guilty verdict, a process that concluded late on a Saturday. During the trial, Taylor's representation argued that he acted in self-defense, suggesting that DeSilva posed a significant risk to officers and others present. KVUE noted that the defense's final witness, retired officer Mark Sawa testified that DeSilva's action—from holding a knife to his throat to lowering it near his waist—raised his threat level.
The incident in question took place on July 31, 2019, when DeSilva was seen with a knife to his own throat in a downtown Austin condo complex, prompting 911 calls that included requests for a mental health officer, as per KXAN. During the confrontation on the condo's fifth floor, body camera footage showed officers, including Taylor, facing DeSilva in a narrow hallway just outside an elevator. Taylor and another officer, Karl Krycia, opened fire on DeSilva, while another officer utilized a Taser.
Following the close of testimonies and final arguments from both sides, jury deliberation was extended to include Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with KVUE indicating expectations for deliberations to resume on Saturday morning.
