A Texas police officer has been found guilty of deadly conduct following a shooting in 2019 that was described by the prosecution as “completely avoidable.”
Christopher Taylor of Austin Police, who was indicted over the shooting in 2021, was found guilty of third-degree felony deadly conduct on the fourth day of jury deliberation on October 5. Taylor had also been indicted for first-degree murder as well as deadly conduct, but was only found guilty of the second charge.
Taylor was convicted over the death of Marius DeSilva at the hands of the police on July 31, 2019. DeSilva was experiencing a severe and dangerous mental-health episode when his neighbors called the police for a wellness check at 4:55 p.m.
The four officers on the scene found DeSilva holding a knife to his throat. When ordered to drop the knife, he continued to hold it and walk toward the officers. According to officer reports from the scene, DeSilva reportedly lunged at them.
However, according to bodycam footage, DeSilva was walking toward the officers, and was between seven and 10 feet away from them when he was shot by two officers who fired their pistols, and one officer who fired a taser.
The Austin Public Information Office has been contacted via phone and via email for comment.
According to reporting in 2019 by Fox 7 Austin, DeSilva was pronounced dead in the hospital at 6:07 p.m. that same day.
Another officer, Karl Krycia, is also facing murder and deadly conduct charges for the shooting.
This is Taylor’s second appearance in court, as he faced another murder trial for the killing of Michael Ramos in 2020, before the DeSilva indictment. That case resulted in two mistrials and the last jury that met for that case in 2023 was eventually deadlocked.
The state’s latest case against Taylor relied on a building’s CCTV and bodycam footage, and on the fact that the team did not call for a mental-health officer at the time.
Dexter Gilford, for the prosecution, said: “This was not a case in which deadly force was necessary or justified. It was completely avoidable. Chris Taylor killed him as he was asking for help.”
However, the defense insisted that Taylor’s actions were necessary and justified given DeSilva’s possession of a knife.
After a lengthy deliberation, the jury unanimously found Taylor guilty of deadly conduct, and he will appear at a sentencing hearing on October 15.
In a press release from October 5, Travis County District Attorney José Garza said: “We hope this outcome continues to help the DeSilva family with their healing process.”
Garza added: “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. We further hope this verdict allows the community to heal and that we can move forward together.”
According to the Austin American-Statesman, Taylor’s guilty verdict was the first conviction for police use of force secured by the Travis County DA office’s civil rights unit.
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