Austin police officer Christopher Taylor indicted for murder in Michael Ramos shooting

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A Texas grand jury has indicted Austin police officer Christopher Taylor for murder on Wednesday for the death of Mike Ramos last year.

A spokesperson for the Travis County Sheriff's office confirmed to FOX News that an arrest warrant has been issued for Taylor's arrest. A $100,000 bond has been set for Taylor, who faces a potential sentence of life in prison if convicted.

The ruling marks the first time in decades that an officer has faced the most serious charge in an excessive force case, according to KVUE.

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On April 24, 2020, the Austin Police Department received a 911 calll reporting two people doings drugs in a vehicle located in a parking lot near East Oltorf Street and South Pleasant Valley Road in southeast Austin.

Officers, including Taylor, arrived on the scene and approached Ramos, a 42-year-old Black and Hispanic man. Ramos got out of the car, but officers said he did not comply with officers’ commands. Officer Mitchell Pieper reportedly fired from a less-lethal "bean bag" shotgun before Taylor fired the fatal shot from his rifle.

(Courtesy the Family of Michael Ramos.)

The call stated that Ramos was reportedly holding a gun. However, detectives said a gun was not found anywhere in the car.

Taylor was placed on administrative leave following the incident. 

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The case sparked controversy over the summer after videos of the incident surfaced on social media and an edited video of body and dashboard camera footage was released publicly by the Austin Police Department in July.

Taylor reportedly requested that the court prohibit the video's public release, though his attorneys later said they withdrew the request. 

The shooting, which prompted protests in Austin, came just weeks before the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Ramos' mother, Brenda Ramos, filed a lawsuit against the city of Austin, accusing officials of fostering an "institutionally racist and aggressive policing culture," according to KVUE. 

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A spokesperson for the Austin Police Department told FOX News it is "aware that a Travis County Grand Jury indicted Officer Christopher Taylor and no billed Officer Mitchell Pieper for an incident that occurred in April of 2020."

"APD respects the role the Grand Jury holds in the criminal justice process and will continue to cooperate with the District Attorney’s Office on this case as needed while it proceeds through the trial process," the spokesperson added. 

Lawyers for Taylor said that they are "disappointed but sadly not surprised at this indictment."

"As early as July of last year, then-DA candidate Jose Garza had made up his mind that Officer Taylor committed a crime and went so far as to offer an implied promise to indict him several months before being elected District Attorney or having access to any case evidence," attorneys Ken Ervin and Doug O’Connell told FOX News in a statement. "We would remind Mr. Garza that his sworn duty is not to be an advocate for one party months before knowing the facts. It is to see that justice is done."

Ervin and O'Connell argued that Taylor's indicement is "not justice; it is the fulfillment of a campaign talking point and yet more evidence of antipolice bias."

"We look forward to presenting the facts of this case, in their entirety, to a panel of citizens not behind closed doors and not under his exclusive control," they added.

According to the Austin American Statesman, the last time an Austin police officer faced charges in a shooting death was detective Charles "Trey" Kleinert, who was charged with manslaughter in the death of Larry Jackson in July 2013. The case was later dismissed.