Austin PD Officer Indicted On 1st Degree Murder In 2019 Case

Austin TX

27 August, 2021

4:01 PM

Description

AUSTIN, TX — An Austin Police Officer was indicted on first-degree murder and a third-degree felony count of deadly conduct for the 2019 death of Dr. Mauris de Silva. Officer Christopher Taylor was indicted by a Travis County grand jury on Friday. The court has set a $100,000 bail for Taylor and conditions including the surrender of all firearms, including any firearm issued by APD and prohibition from working with law enforcement or security companies in a capacity that would require him to possess a gun, officials said. Travis County District Attorney José Garza said the case will be prosecuted by the Office's Civil Rights Unit and are pending in the 167th Judicial District Court. Authorities said Taylor is facing an additional first-degree murder indictment related to the death of Michael Ramos. MORE ON THAT STORY: Austin Police Officer Charged With Murder In Michael Ramos Case On July 31, 2019, officials said several neighbors called 911 to report de Silva was in the middle of a mental health crisis and held a knife to his own neck at a condominium building in Austin's affluent Seaholm District downtown. According to the Texas Observer, when officers arrived on scene, de Silva had gone inside the apartment building, where he lived, and was found in the building's fifth floor gymnasium. The magazine reports de Silva did not respond to officers' commands and walked towards them with the knife in his right hand. Two officers, including Taylor, shot him. Another officer tased him. By 6 p.m. that day, de Silva was pronounced dead. he was 46. Authorities said de Silva was a community member with a PhD and had no prior criminal record. "Our system depends on trust in the process," said Dexter Gilford, Director of the Civil Rights Unit. "We trust the grand jurors took seriously their commitment to consider the cases before them, and, in this instance, to return indictments. We know these decisions are not easy, and we appreciate the time and concern they put into this case." RELATED COVERAGE:Mike Ramos Act To Create New Standards For TX Officer Discipline 2 Austin PD Officers Cleared Of All Charges In February Shooting 2nd Austin PD Officer Dies Of COVID-19