Texas lawmakers want to exempt police from deadly conduct charges
When Austin police responded to a 911 call in a downtown high rise in 2019, they confronted Mauris DeSilva a few feet away from the elevator, in a mental health crisis holding a knife.
Christopher Taylor, an on-duty officer, shot and killed DeSilva that night. DeSilva’s father has said his son was not a threat to the police, only to himself. Prosecutors agreed.
Taylor last year was sentenced to two years in a prison for deadly conduct, a charge only a handful of officers have been convicted of in recent history. Lawyers for Taylor after the sentencing have called the prosecution an abuse of power.
Texas lawmakers are now working to make that kind of sentence impossible. House Bill 2436 would exempt law enforcement officers from being charged with deadly conduct for actions taken in the line of duty. The lower chamber is expected to vote on the bill Monday. The Senate approved a nearly identical bill, Senate Bill 1637, earlier this month.
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/texas-police-deadly-conduct-exempt-20298314.php
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