Jury finds APD officer guilty of deadly conduct

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A jury found Austin Police Officer Christopher Taylor guilty of deadly conduct in the 2019 shooting of Mauris DeSilva.

Jurors began deliberating the case Wednesday around 11:30 a.m. The verdict was reached just before 2 p.m. Saturday.

In Texas, defendants have the right to have the judge or jury determine their sentence. In this case, Taylor chose the judge, so Judge Dayna Blazey will determine his punishment. The sentence range for deadly conduct is 2-10 years and up to a $10,000 fine. Probation can also be an option.

A hearing regarding the sentencing is set for Oct. 15.

In a statement, Travis County District Attorney José Garza said his office hopes the verdict helps the DeSilva family with their healing process.

"Our office is grateful to our dedicated staff who worked tirelessly to hold the defendant accountable and seek justice for the victim and their family," Garza's statement read. "We further hope this verdict allows the community to heal and that we can move forward together.”

"The Austin Police Department has learned of the Jury’s guilty verdict against Officer Christopher Taylor in the 2019 incident involving Mauris DeSilva," said APD in a statement Sunday afternoon. "The Austin Police Department respects the criminal justice process and understands this is a difficult time for all who have been impacted."

The police department has not yet answered KXAN's question about Taylor's employment status.

The case

Police shot and killed DeSilva in a common area of his downtown condo complex on July 31, 2019. Taylor and three other officers responded after 911 callers reported DeSilva walking around, holding a knife to his neck. 

You can view body camera video of the shooting here.

The State said DeSilva was undergoing a “profound” mental health episode and expressed throughout the evidence portion of the trial that APD could have done more to de-escalate the situation and keep both DeSilva and others at the complex safe. Taylor’s attorneys said he committed no crime, and that DeSilva posed a credible threat to officers when they fired.

The crime of deadly conduct as it pertains to this case involves knowingly firing a gun at another person. Taylor’s attorneys do not deny Taylor shot DeSilva but said he did so in self-defense, so the use of force was justified and within Taylor’s rights.

Three other officers confronted DeSilva alongside Taylor. One other officer, Karl Krycia, shot DeSilva as well. Another officer, Joseph Cast, fired a Taser. Officer Phillip Zuniga did not actively hold a weapon; his role was to “go hands” if needed. 

Taylor originally also faced a murder charge in this case, but that charge was dropped the week before the trial. According to online court records, Kyrcia still faces a murder charge for shooting DeSilva. Neither Cast nor Zuniga face charges. 

Prosecutors asked Cast and Zuniga why police didn’t take more time to gather more information about DeSilva and his mental state before confronting him. This included asking officers why they didn’t speak further with a worker who also came face-to-face with DeSilva holding a knife. That worker testified that he saw DeSilva outside the elevator and said something along the lines of “We’re not doing that today” and DeSilva walked away. 

Testifying officers said DeSilva’s behavior was not only a danger to himself, but to others in the condo as well, and the priority became “addressing the threat.” 

At one point, prosecutors asked Cast about police bias and how his relationship with Taylor as a fellow police officer may impact his testimony. Cast said his testimony was unbiased.