Current:Home > StocksMistrial declared for Texas officer in fatal shooting of an unarmed man-LoTradeCoin
Mistrial declared for Texas officer in fatal shooting of an unarmed man
View Date:2024-12-24 00:29:08
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A mistrial was declared Wednesday for a Texas police officer in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man in Austin.
The mistrial for Austin Officer Christopher Taylor was announced by Judge Dayna Blazey after jurors were unable to reach a verdict following five days of deliberations.
Prosecutors did not immediately return a phone call for comment about whether they will again try Taylor. They had filed a murder charge against him shortly after the April 2020 shooting and he pleaded not guilty.
Taylor has been on administrative since the shooting that killed Michael Ramos, who is Black and Hispanic. Ramos was shot as he tried to drive away from police who were attempting to arrest him in an apartment complex parking lot.
Police were investigating reports of a man with a gun using drugs with other people inside a car in the parking lot.
The woman who said she made the call, Meko Scott, testified during Taylor’s trial that she wishes she could take back saying she saw a man with a gun. She said she never saw a gun and reported what other bystanders had said and apologized to Ramos’ family.
A search of the car failed to turn up a gun, police said later. The entire episode was captured on police video.
Then-Police Chief Brian Manley said Ramos got out of the car with his hands up and his shirt raised as if to show he had no gun in his waistband, but then ignored officer’s orders to remain outside the car and was shot first with a beanbag, then with a rifle by Taylor as Ramos drove away.
Black and Hispanic community activists reacted to the shooting with outrage and protest demonstrations.
Demonstrators in Austin invoked Ramos’ name when they took to the streets to protest the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police the following month.
Taylor and another officer face murder charges in connection with a 2019 death of a man who was experiencing a mental health crisis when he was shot and killed. Taylor’s attorneys said in a 2021 statement that he had no choice but to use deadly force to protect himself.
veryGood! (11)
Related
- Police capture Tennessee murder suspect accused of faking his own death on scenic highway
- Michelle Trachtenberg slams comments about her appearance: 'This is my face'
- Emma Stone and director Yorgos Lanthimos on Poor Things
- NYC joins a growing wave of local governments erasing residents' medical debt
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul press conference highlights: 'Problem Child' goads 'Iron Mike'
- Burton Wilde: Effective Hedging Strategies in the US Stock Market
- This Hair Cream Was the Only Thing That Helped My Curls Survive the Hot & Humid Florida Weather
- Kansas incurred $10 million in legal fees defending NCAA men's basketball infractions case
- Sister Wives’ Christine Brown Shares Glimpse Into Honeymoon One Year After Marrying David Woolley
- Mexico demands investigation into US military-grade weapons being used by drug cartels
Ranking
- Controversial comedian Shane Gillis announces his 'biggest tour yet'
- New Mexico police discover explosive device, investigate second suspicious package
- Norman Jewison, acclaimed director of ‘In the Heat of the Night’ and ‘Moonstruck,’ dead at 97
- Northern lights may be visible in more than a dozen states Monday night: Here's what to know
- Pentagon secrets leaker Jack Teixeira set to be sentenced, could get up to 17 years in prison
- Live updates | 21 Israeli soldiers are killed in Gaza as criticism of war’s handling rises at home
- More flooding forecast for Australia’s northeast as storm in Coral Sea nears cyclone strength
- What is the healthiest bell pepper? The real difference between red, green and yellow.
Recommendation
-
Seattle man faces 5 assault charges in random sidewalk stabbings
-
Families sue Kentucky gun shop that sold AR-15 used in 2023 bank shooting that killed 5
-
This magnet heart nail hack is perfect for Valentine's Day – if you can pull it off
-
More than $1 billion awarded to Minnesota, Wisconsin bridge
-
Gisele Bündchen Makes First Major Appearance Since Pregnancy
-
Trump trial in E. Jean Carroll defamation case delayed because of sick juror
-
Panera Charged Lemonade linked to alleged deaths, lawsuits: Everything that's happened so far
-
Horoscopes Today, January 22, 2024