28 Texas Police Officers Face Life in Prison for Murdering Four People, Assaulting Dozens of Others

     It still remains the most shocking, least-reported instance of police brutality in the United States of America. An initial round of indictments in February and a second, much smaller round in May brought the total of officers indicted for their actions during the George Floyd protests in Austin, Texas, to 21. During these incidents, at least seven nonviolent protestors were severely injured by nonlethal beanbag ammunitions fired by Austin Police Department officers. Justin Howell was awarded $8 million in a civil suit after being shot in the head by one of these rounds left him permanently disabled by a traumatic brain injury. Maredith Drake, a volunteer medic, was awarded $850,000 after being shot in the hand while trying to carry Howell to safety, resulting in her losing a finger. Another such The city has approved five settlements totaling $13 million out of 18 lawsuits filed against the city this year, with more settlements expected in the coming months. One indicted officer in the shooting of Drake, Chance Bretches, still faces charges filed in January 2021 related to a violent arrest in 2019; a second officer charged in that arrest and also among the 21 officers indicted this year had those charges dropped. One indicted officer was Justin Berry, a Republican who lost his primary election for the Texas legislature after the charges were filed. They officers all face charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison. However, it has an added modifier because they are public servants, which means the crime is a first-degree felony punishable by five years to life imprisonment.

     Those 21 are not the only officers charged in Austin alone. Unfortunately, permanent disability was the less severe consequence of the actions of Austin PD officers: Javier Ambler II died. A gentle giant, a member of a military family, a college graduate, a postal worker, a former college football player, and, most importantly, the father of two sons, he was pulled over for not dimming his headlights. In spite of telling officers he had a heart condition, he had his finger broken and was tased at least three or four times, resulting in a fatal heart attack and his death being ruled a homicide. Officers James Johnson and Zachary Camden were charged with manslaughter, a second-degree felony, while Sheriff Robert Chody was charged with evidence tampering, a third-degree felony punishable by two to ten years in prison; Assistant County Attorney Jason Nassour faced the same charge. This was as a result of Chody ordering the TV show Live PD to destroy evidence and, along with Nassour, destroying other video footage of the arrest, a move that also resulted in the show being cancelled and Chody and Nassour both losing their jobs.

     Two more Austin officers would be indicted for the murders of two men in Austin: Officers Karl Krycia and Christopher Taylor were charged with murder after shooting Dr. Mauris DeSilva, who was having a mental health breakdown and holding a knife to his own neck when he was shot. A third officer was not charged because he did the appropriate thing and used a taser. Nine months later, Taylor would be charged in the murder of another unarmed man of color, Michael Ramos, who was shot while entering his vehicle after telling police he was unarmed. Once again, a partner of Taylor's was not indicted for any crime because he used a nonlethal weapon while once again Taylor immediately chose to fire his weapon.

     25 officers face 20 years to life in prison for killing three unarmed men of color and injuring seven peaceful protestors while two more face up to ten years in prison for destroying evidence. This is in Austin alone. Elsewhere in Texas, at least three others are facing murder charges for police brutality: Officer Aaron Dean, who had a prior misdemeanor conviction for grabbing a woman's breasts, was charged with murder after shooting an unarmed black woman named Atatiana Jefferson in her Fort Worth home after receiving a non-emergency call about her door being open; Officer Shaun Lucas, a cop in the small town of Wolfe City known for aggressively antagonizing black residents, was charged with murder for shooting an unarmed black man named Jonathan Price; yet another Dallas-Forth Worth-area officer, Michael Dunn of Farmers Branch, was charged with murder after shooting unarmed Hispanic man Johnny Moreno at the wheel of a moving vehicle.

     30+ officers are facing prison time, including 28 facing life sentences, for crimes related to their conduct on duty alone as you read this article. Countless dozens more face charges for activities unrelated to their policing, from domestic violence to possession of child sexual abuse material. When there are this many "bad apples," it becomes evident that it is the result of a rotten tree.