First appearance on Fox: In Austin, Texas, past and present police officers spoke out against the county's progressive district attorney after a fellow officer was sentenced to two years in prison on Tuesday for not doing his job properly. is increasing.
Austin Police Officer Christopher Taylor sentenced to 2 years in prison He was initially charged with murder in the 2019 shooting death of 46-year-old Maurice DeSilva, but was later found guilty of manslaughter and sent to prison.
DeSilva was in the midst of a psychotic episode and was seen walking around the apartment complex, holding a knife to his throat and threatening to harm himself, but refused to drop the knife despite being told to do so by officers. Ta.
Fox News Digital spoke to several members of Austin's law enforcement community who said Taylor's prosecution is a targeting of bad police officers by the county's progressive District Attorney Jose Garza.
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Austin police officer Christopher Taylor was sentenced this week to two years in prison.
“Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza's weaponization of our justice system cost Officer Chris Taylor his life today,” Austin Police Officer Justin Berry told FOX News Digital in a statement. Ta.
“Chris knew that by wearing the police badge he could be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice in service and protection of other police officers and the community. I don't think anyone ever expects their life to be taken away from them.''I spoke with law enforcement leaders across Texas, and I spoke with Officer Chris Taylor and others about the ongoing weaponization of police. I support police officers who are being viciously persecuted. It is a system that can be exploited by unjust district attorneys with impunity. ”
Garza has long faced criticism from Austin law enforcement. Alleged “war with police” After a Soros-backed district attorney indicted police officers and campaigned to “reimagine” Austin's policing. Soros donated $652,000 to the Texas Justice and Public Safety PAC in the months leading up to the 2020 Travis County DA election, according to campaign finance records. That same PAC spent nearly $1 million on digital and mail advertising to support Garza's campaign.
Berry was one of about a dozen people. police officer indicted Taylor, who praised Garza's role in quelling the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots, told FOX News Digital that Taylor's situation “furthers the Travis County District Attorney's personal war against the men and women of the Austin Police Department. “This highlights the historic abuse of power by Jose Garza.” . ”
“Today, Mr. Garza sent a clear message that police officers in Travis County, Texas, are prohibited from protecting themselves or others, including members of this community,” Berry told FOX News Digital. told. “All police officers have always been taught in training that when an armed subject harms or kills a police officer, they are legally justified in protecting themselves or others from serious injury or death. “Today, that's no longer the case in Austin,'' says Jose Garza of Texas, who calls police officers to respond to any call about someone in a mental health crisis, especially if they are carrying a weapon. We have established a policy that no such person should respond. ”
Portrait of Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza posing in front of the Austin skyline (from the county website). (Travis County DA website)
Another Austin police officer, who was granted anonymity to speak freely, said Tuesday was a “sad” and “dark day” for Austin, Texas.
“No one wants to go to these mental health consultations anymore. Even if they did, there would be some hesitation,” the police officer said. “This conviction will hurt people who would otherwise not be hurt.”
“Our hearts are all broken for Chris and his family. Chris showed up, answered the call, used sound tactics and decision-making, and is now serving a two-year prison sentence. We're not getting any meaningful guidance, because what did you change when Chris did it the right way?
Cyclists pass below the downtown skyline on the Lady Bird Lake Hiking and Biking Trail in Austin, Texas. (Reuters/Julia Robinson)
The officers who spoke to Fox News Digital maintain that Taylor followed their training, a statement echoed in Taylor's defense by former Austin Police Chief Brian Manley and former Austin Deputy Police Chief Bruce Mills. It is supported by testimonies. Additionally, an internal police investigation into the incident concluded that Taylor followed procedures and was allowed to return to work.
Prosecutors say Taylor is the first Travis County police officer to be convicted of using deadly force, and that he could have de-escalated the situation without using deadly force. He maintained that Mr. DeSilva was not a threat at the time the force was used.
“We lost him because of your ignorance,” DeSilva's father told the court. “You were reckless. You know very well that he is not a danger to you, Mr. Taylor, or anyone else. I don't know why you wanted to shoot him.”
Dennis Farris, president of the Austin Police Retired Officers Association, told Fox News Digital that DeSilva had methamphetamines in his system, that his blood alcohol level was over .20, and that DeSilva had methamphetamine in his system. He pointed to testimony at trial that he was facing the officers with a knife. It's located a little far away.
“As a society, we can't expect police officers to come out every day and protect us, but they decide what they're doing is a crime,” Faris told Fox News Digital. “I'm worried that he will be prosecuted by an elected prosecutor.” “Chris Taylor followed the law and was trained to handle this situation, and somehow the prosecution convinced the jury that it was illegal.”
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Christopher Taylor listens during a sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, at the Blackwell Thurman Criminal Justice Center. (© Jay Janner/American-Statesman/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
“This verdict and sentence is a complete miscarriage of justice by the DA's office, which targets police officers who did their job and seeks to let the real criminals go free with little punishment.”
The United Law Enforcement Association of Texas (CLEAT) said in a statement to FOX News Digital that Garza “undertook a mission and engaged in political persecution of approximately 30 brave law enforcement officers across this county.” Ta.
“Officer Taylor followed his training and written procedures and acted as any reasonable police officer would do,” CLEAT said in a statement. “This was made clear by multiple witnesses, including the former chief of the Austin Police Department. Countless experts in use of force and police procedure confirmed that his actions were justified and that his training was consistent with nationally recognized training.” To the organization and its 28,000 members, we stand with Officer Taylor, his family, and the members of the Austin Police Department.”
Contacted by Fox News Digital about concerns from law enforcement, Garza's office said, “In this case, Mr. Taylor was convicted by a Travis County jury and sentenced by a Travis County judge.” They responded with a statement.
Garza's office said in a statement Tuesday night: “We are grateful to our dedicated team for working diligently to ensure accountability for defendants and seek justice for victims and their families.” said. KVUE-TV reported. “It is our sincere hope that these results bring comfort and support to the DeSilva family as they continue their healing journey.”
Garza's office previously charged Taylor with murder in an unrelated case shortly after taking office in 2020. The case ended in a mistrial last November, and Garza's office announced it would not try the case again.
About six police officers are currently facing charges in Travis County, and Berry told FOX News Digital that the officers' families are in dire need of support.
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“Chris is not the only officer on the Garza suspect list. Many other Austin Police Department officers are awaiting sham trials in this political miscarriage of justice,” Berry said in a statement. “These officers and their families have had their entire lives taken away from them and must wait for a trial date for Jose Garza to take his own life. Enough of this abuse of power and miscarriage of justice. Enough of these. Our police officers need our support at a desperate time for them and their families as well.”
Michael Block, president of the Austin Police Association, said in a statement: Posted in Xwrote that they believed Garza was playing “political games.”
“Throughout this trial, they sought to ignore and discredit their own experts, claiming to be tactical experts, going after other officers called to testify, and attacking the Austin Police Department. Every attempt has been made to defame him,” Block wrote. “Tonight, Dexter Guilford of the DA's office went so far as to say that the DA's office knows more about tactics than the police officers who actually face these realities every day.”
“This district attorney has given generous plea deals to rapists and violent criminals, spending untold amounts of tax money while ignoring their victims, putting them in impossible situations, and arranging them from those in power.” He repeatedly pursued Detective Taylor, who had to protect himself and others.'' He was using methamphetamines and armed with a knife. No matter how much Garza tries to convince people not to do so, he is actively endangering our cities by releasing criminals and targeting police officers. ”
