Trial of Austin police officer Christopher Taylor, accused of murdering Mike Ramos, begins

Testimony began Monday in the highly anticipated murder trial of Austin police officer Christopher Taylor, who was charged in the 2020 shooting death of Michael Ramos.

Taylor shot and killed Ramos, who was Black and Hispanic, on April 24, 2020, in the parking lot of a Southeast Austin apartment complex. Police initially responded to a 911 call reporting that a person possibly involved in a drug deal was armed.

Officers said that when Ramos did not comply with orders, they shot him using “less lethal” ammunition. After being struck, Ramos entered the vehicle and began driving. Taylor shot into the car three times, killing Ramos.

Police later confirmed that Ramos did not have a gun.

In the wake of his death, Ramos became the local face of Black Lives Matters protests in Austin.

This is believed to be the first time an Austin police officer has been charged with murder for an on-duty use of force.

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Twelve jurors and four alternates were empaneled last week during a largely anticlimactic selection process. An initial attempt to seat a jury in May ended in a mistrial.

On Monday, the 167th Criminal District Court was packed with families, supporters and members of the press. Brenda Ramos, Michael Ramos’ mother, was present, as were the parents, grandparents and wife of Christopher Taylor.

Prosecutors argued that, although Ramos was known to police, he had never displayed violent behavior and was not known to be armed. Throughout the first day of testimony, prosecutors argued that Taylor’s use of deadly force was out of line with police training and procedure.

This is a crucial moment for Travis County District Attorney José Garza, who made police accountability a focal point of his campaign. Garza has expanded the office's Civil Rights Unit, which focuses on complaints against police and originated under his predecessor, Margaret Moore.

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Gary Cobb, a former prosecutor and one-time candidate for district attorney, was appointed as special prosecutor for the case against Taylor.

The trial has considerable implications for both social justice advocates and members of law enforcement.

On Monday, representatives from the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas and the Austin Police Association — both law enforcement unions — were present in court. So were members of the Austin Justice Coalition.

Also watching were relatives of two other men killed by Austin police in recent years: Alex Gonzales, who was fatally shot in his vehicle by an off-duty officer, and Rajan Moonesinghe, who was shot and killed outside his South Austin home.

Dexter Gilford, head of the Civil Rights Unit, delivered the state’s opening statement. Gilford began by describing the injuries Ramos suffered during the shooting. Ramos was hit three times — a fact Gilford punctuated by loudly striking the table three times.

Prosecutors displayed photos of the department-issued AR-15 Taylor used in the shooting.

“It is repeatedly driven home to each and every officer who is trusted with this weapon and its associated (ammunition) that they are accountable for each and every shot,” Gilford said.

Gilford emphasized that seven other officers had responded to the 911 call, but only Taylor shot at Ramos’ vehicle. Gilford argued that, in driving the car forward, Ramos’ only intention was to flee the scene. He said that there were no officers or civilians in front of the car, and it could not be construed as a deadly weapon.

Gilford argued that other officers present at the scene did not believe they were at risk of being hit by Ramos. Using still images pulled from body-worn cameras, Gilford claimed that when Taylor drew his gun on Ramos, other officers had not done so.

When Taylor decided to shoot, Gilford said, “he made a critical decision to violate his training, generally accepted police practices and common sense.

“The most dangerous place Ramos would be that day was in the defendant’s imagination,” Gilford said.

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The other officers present during the shooting are expected to testify. One of them, Karl Krycia, was charged as Taylor’s co-defendant in the shooting death of Marius DeSilva.

Attorneys for Christopher Taylor decided not to give their opening statement immediately after the state’s presentation.

Throughout the first day of testimony, prosecutors openly addressed Ramos’ criminal history. The state called police officers and witnesses who encountered Ramos in the 24 hours before his death.

An Austin police detective testified to performing a traffic stop in the early morning of April 23. The officer said that the car matched the description of a stolen vehicle. During the stop, the driver suddenly got out of the car. The passenger —believed to be Ramos —then moved into the driver's seat and drove off.

One witness described an encounter with Ramos on the afternoon of April 23. Ramos matched the description of someone who had been stealing packages in a South Austin neighborhood. After the witness slowly drove by Ramos, he said, Ramos stepped into the middle of the road and made an obscene gesture at him.

Prosecutors reiterated that throughout Ramos' encounters with law enforcement, he had never behaved aggressively. They emphasized that, leading up to the shooting, no officer had described Ramos as armed or dangerous.

In cross-examination, defense attorneys argued that, before the shooting, Ramos' criminal behavior was "escalating."

Tavon Jefferson, who filmed the bystander video of the April 2020 shooting that circulated on social media, described her experience observing the incident. Jefferson, then a resident of the apartment complex where the shooting took place, said that Ramos was close friends with her stepfather. Ramos had come to the apartment complex to meet with her stepfather, who she said regularly gave Ramos haircuts.

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Prosecutors played the 3½-minute cellphone video twice. In it, the shooting can be seen in its entirety. After Ramos was shot and killed, Jefferson can be heard repeatedly saying, “That was wrong.”

While the video played, Jefferson was visibly emotional on the stand. She described the reaction of onlookers as “devastated and frustrated.”

When police asked Jefferson to come to the station to give a statement, she refused. On the stand, she said she was uncomfortable doing so.

“They just killed a man in front of me for no reason,” she said.

Clavita McMillan, Ramos' half-sister, also testified. She described her role as Ramos' "big sister," who tried to guide him. She said that Ramos was active in her son's life.

She was aware of Ramos' struggle with substance abuse. He had expressed to her that he “wanted to get clean but didn’t know how.”

The trial is expected to continue for several weeks.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Murder trial of Austin police officer Christopher Taylor begins