Austin police officer Christopher Taylor found guilty of deadly conduct by jury
Austin police officer Christopher Taylor was found guilty Saturday of deadly conduct for a fatal 2019 shooting of a man holding a knife, marking what's believed to be the first time an officer has been convicted of a crime for an on-duty shooting in Travis County.
The decision comes after more than three days of jury deliberations.
Taylor, who joined the Austin Police Department in 2014, sat between his two defense attorneys with no clear emotion as the verdict was read. Attorney Doug O'Connell rested his hand on Taylor's back. Multiple family members and the president of the Austin police union sat in several rows behind him. Mauris DeSilva's father, who attended the trial, was not present, nor were other members of the DeSilva family.
The case received intense scrutiny, marking the second time Taylor faced a jury for an on-duty shooting. Jurors deadlocked last fall in a murder trial in the shooting death of Michael Ramos, which fueled Austin's 2020 social justice protests.
Taylor was on trial for his part in shooting and killing 46-year-old DeSilva, a Sri Lankan researcher and scientist with a history of mental health issues. DeSilva had been threatening himself with a knife outside of the downtown Spring Condominiums on July 31, 2019, when police were called.
When officers arrived, they saw that DeSilva had moved to a communal floor at the Spring Condominiums with the knife still to his neck. Police took the elevator to confront him, with officers Taylor and Karl Krycia drawing their firearms. The doors opened and in almost an instant of yelling commands, DeSilva moved toward them with the knife, prompting police to shoot.
Krycia also faces a murder and deadly conduct charge.
The guilty verdict highlights the first successful attempt by the Travis County District Attorney's Office's Civil Rights Unit to secure a conviction against a police officer's use of force.
Holding police accountable was a key platform that helped District Attorney José Garza defeat incumbent Margaret Moore in the 2020 runoff election in the wake of nationwide protests against police use of force.
Garza's office has attained an unprecedented number of indictments against police officers during his first term and has brought four of those to trial. His office has not secured a conviction in any of those cases.
A grand jury also had indicted Taylor on a murder charge, but prosecutors did not pursue that charge during the trial. Legal experts have said that prosecutors may have done so as a legal strategy, opting to give jurors the option of convicting on a lesser charge instead of the most serious under Texas law.
Deadly conduct is a third degree felony in Texas that carries a prison sentence of two to 10 years. People convicted of a crime in Texas have the right to allow a judge or jury to decide their sentence. Taylor's defense attorneys asked before the trial began for District Judge Dayna Blazey to decide Taylor's fate and also recommended that he be sentenced to probation.
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Taylor's defense attorneys Doug O'Connell and Ken Ervin said they had no comment at this time but that they would be issuing a written statement later.
The Travis County district attorney's office did not immediately respond to a request to comment.
Brad Vinson, who represents the DeSilva in a lawsuit against Taylor and the city, said in a written statement there was "more than enough evidence" brought out in trial to show that officers "failed" properly attend to DeSilva when they knew he was having a mental health episode.
"Dr. Mauris Desilva was a brilliant man experiencing a profound mental health episode. He was a danger only to himself. He should have been confronted, he should have been cared for, he should not have been killed," the statement said. "My client and his family are and always will be devastated by the loss of their son. Nothing can bring back their son but this verdict is the first step in getting them the justice that they deserve."
Throughout the deliberations, multiple hearings were had on concerns with the jury, one of those expressing safety concerns and another after a bailiff saw some jurors on their phones and another on their laptop during Friday's deliberations. Defense attorneys asked for a mistrial, which was denied.
On Saturday, state prosecutors and defense met for another hearing where the district attorney's office asked for sanctions on defense attorneys for statements made about the trial on social media. Prosecutors also asked for Blazey to hold the defense in contempt of court. Blazey denied all of the state's motions.
During that hearing, O'Connell also asked for all jurors to be questioned on the witness stand if they had been exposed to any type of media coverage about the trial. Blazey also denied this motion.
This is a developing story. Check back later for more updates.
