Jury selection to begin Monday for Austin police officer on trial for murder

KVUE
Author: KVUE staff
Published: 12:39 PM CDT October 15, 2023

AUSTIN, Texas — Jury selection starts on Monday for Austin police officer Christopher Taylor, who faces a murder charge for the death of Michael Ramos in 2020.

In May, a Travis County judge declared a mistrial amid allegations of potential jury tampering and the inability to seat a jury.

The police shooting rocked Austin and fueled the anger that helped spark the social justice protests of 2020. Captured in both police footage and on witnesses' cellphone cameras, the case sparked controversy from the start, and the trial of Officer Taylor is expected to draw emotions from all sides.

In April 2020, multiple APD officers responded to a report about possible drug dealing in the parking lot of a southeast Austin complex. The 911 caller said that a man, later identified as Ramos, had a gun – but police later confirmed they did not find a weapon.

When officers arrived at the complex, they say Ramos did not obey their commands, prompting them to use beanbag rounds on him. Then, when Ramos got into his car and started driving, Taylor opened fire.

The shooting led to a local outcry and calls for justice, amid ongoing outrage over the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Taylor's attorneys say he opened fire on Ramos to protect himself and other officers and that he committed no crime. But in one of his first major actions as Travis County district attorney, José Garza took the case to a grand jury in 2021. The grand jury indicted Taylor on a murder charge.

Now, should jury selection be successful this time, a Travis County jury will hear arguments from both sides to decide whether the shooting was justified or whether Taylor should face up to life in prison.

Last month, a judge denied Taylor's motion to move the trial out of Travis County. Jury selection is set to start at 9 a.m. on Monday.