Hearing on APD officer’s deadly conduct sentence

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police Officer Christopher Taylor, who was found guilty of deadly conduct this month in the 2019 shooting of Mauris DeSilva , is set to appear in court for a sentencing hearing Tuesday, according to online court records.

In Texas, defendants have the right to choose whether a judge or jury decides their punishment. Taylor chose the judge.

Deadly conduct in this case carries a punishment of 2-10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine, but probation is possible if an individual has no prior convictions, as is the case for Taylor.

Jurors deliberated for about four days before reaching a guilty verdict on a Saturday afternoon. Throughout the trial, Taylor’s attorneys argued self defense, saying DeSilva was a danger to Taylor, other officers, and civilians.

KXAN will update this story after this morning’s hearing.

The 2019 shooting of DeSilva

On July 31, 2019, multiple people called 911 to report DeSilva, 46, walking around his downtown condo complex with a knife to his throat. One caller requested a mental health officer. Multiple condo employees testified they feared both for the safety of other’s and for DeSilva’s safety.

Officers who testified said, per their training, they needed to confront DeSilva and “address the threat” as soon as possible, because DeSilva was acting “erratically” and posed a danger not only to himself, but others at the condo.

Taylor and three other officers confronted DeSilva on the fifth floor, a common area with a gym and a pool, right outside the elevator in a narrow hallway. You can view body camera video of that confrontation and shooting here.

Another officer faces charges in this case

Taylor and another officer, Karl Krycia, shot DeSilva. Another officer in the elevator fired a Taser and another was not holding a weapon, but was rather prepared to “go hands.”

Krycia was indicted the same time as Taylor in 2021. They were both indicted on murder charges. Taylor’s murder charges were dropped the week before his trial began.

According to online court records, Krycia still faces a murder charge, and has a hearing set for later this month. The District Attorney’s Office has not been able to answer our questions questions about his case.

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