AUSTIN, Texas — We now know when an Austin police officer will be sentenced after being convicted on a charge of deadly conduct for an on-duty shooting.
On Tuesday morning, a judge set a sentencing date of Dec. 16 for Officer Christopher Taylor.
A Travis County jury convicted Taylor on Oct. 5 for the 2019 shooting death of Mauris DeSilva in Downtown Austin. DeSilva was suffering mental illness and armed with a knife.
Taylor’s conviction marks the first time ever in Travis County that a police officer has been found criminally liable in an on-duty fatal shooting. Taylor faces up to 10 years in prison.
Last week, one of the jurors in Taylor’s trial sat down with KVUE Senior Reporter Tony Plohetski for an exclusive interview. He told us he believes justice was served.
“It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, no question about it,” he said. “To have the authority to wear a badge and also carry a gun comes with a lot of responsibility.”
Another Austin Police Department officer, Karl Krycia, still faces charges for that shooting in 2019, but no trial date has been set.
Background information
On July 31, 2019, police officers, including Taylor, responded to 911 calls coming from the Spring Condominiums in Downtown Austin.
At the time, DeSilva was said to be going through a mental health crisis. Officers found DeSilva inside the building, armed with a knife, threatening to harm himself. They told him to drop the knife, but after he failed to do so, Taylor shot DeSilva.
Taylor stood trial last year on a murder charge in connection with the 2020 shooting of Michael Ramos. A jury deadlocked, and prosecutors have since said they will not retry Taylor in that case.