The Texas Seventh Court of Appeals acquitted former Austin officer Christopher Taylor, overturning a two-year sentence for deadly conduct stemming from a 2019 elevator shooting. Court records and bodycam footage showed Mauris DeSilva, who was experiencing a mental-health crisis and holding a knife, turned and advanced on officers. The appeals court found the legal standard for deadly force supported acquittal. Local police leaders criticized the prosecution as politically motivated; the DA's office did not immediately respond.
Appeals Court Acquits Ex-Austin Officer Christopher Taylor, Overturns Two-Year Sentence
Ex-police officer given prison time in case prosecuted under Soros DA sees conviction overturned a year later
The Texas Seventh Court of Appeals has reversed the conviction of former Austin Police Department Officer Christopher Taylor and entered a judgment of acquittal, vacating a two-year prison sentence related to a 2019 on-duty shooting.
Court's Ruling
"This case comes down to a single, unavoidable question: When an elevator door opens to reveal a man holding a knife who turns toward officers and advances, may an officer reasonably believe deadly force is necessary to prevent an imminent murder? The jury concluded no. The record and the governing law compel the opposite."
The appeals court concluded that the record and governing law did not support the jury's guilty verdict for deadly conduct by discharging a firearm, and the court reversed and entered an acquittal.
Incident Details
According to the appeals court opinion and body-worn camera footage cited therein, officers responded in 2019 to a 911 report of Mauris DeSilva, 46, roaming a downtown Austin condominium hallway while experiencing a mental-health crisis. Witnesses and officers observed DeSilva holding a knife to his throat and threatening self-harm. Officers instructed him to drop the knife, but he did not comply.
When elevator doors opened, DeSilva was facing a hallway mirror with the knife at his throat. He turned and advanced toward the officers. The responding team did not designate a single officer to give commands; multiple officers shouted conflicting orders. DeSilva lowered the knife to his side but continued to move forward. Nearly simultaneously, one officer deployed a taser, and two officers with firearms fired. Taylor fired five shots; another officer fired twice. DeSilva died at the scene.
Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza poses in front of the Austin skyline in a portrait from the county website.
Charges, Trial, And Appeal
Taylor was originally charged with murder but was convicted by a jury of deadly conduct by discharging a firearm and received a two-year sentence after a trial. He pleaded not guilty and asserted self-defense and defense of others. The Seventh Court of Appeals reviewed the record and determined the legal standard for the use of deadly force supported entering a judgment of acquittal.
Reactions
Michael Bullock, president of the Austin Police Association, criticized the Travis County District Attorney's Office, arguing the prosecution was politically motivated and saying repeated prosecutions tainted the jury pool. Taylor's trial attorney, Doug O'Connell, described the decision as a vindication and said Taylor "should never have faced prosecution for defending himself and his fellow officers."
Critics of the DA, José Garza, point to campaign finance records showing a significant contribution from a PAC supported by George Soros during the 2020 election cycle. Supporters of Garza have characterized his policies as efforts to reform local prosecution and policing practices; his office did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the appeals court decision.
What Comes Next
The appeals court's acquittal resolves Taylor's conviction in this case. The decision may influence how future cases involving police use of force and defendants in crisis are evaluated on appeal, particularly where body-worn camera footage is central to the record.
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