Christopher Taylor deadly conduct trial: Witness testimony, surveillance video shown

AUSTIN, Texas - Body camera video was played on the second day of the trial for Austin police officer Christopher Taylor. He is charged with deadly conduct in the 2019 shooting death of Mauris DeSilva. 

Thursday included witness testimony from Officer Joseph Cast, who was with Taylor at the scene.

This happened on July 31, 2019, when multiple 911 calls came in about a man, later identified DeSilva, holding a knife to his throat at the Spring Condominiums in downtown Austin.

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Surveillance video shows DeSilva with a knife, opening a door, and then looking into the surveillance camera.

Body camera video shows when officers first went into the building and talked to employees at the front desk. They could see DeSilva on the surveillance video.

The officers go up in the elevator.

Cast says typically in this type of situation, some officers will prepare lethal options and others will prepare less lethal options.

When the elevator doors open, DeSilva is seen with his back to the elevator, facing a mirror, and holding the knife.

Body camera was played from both Cast's and Taylor's perspectives.

Officers shouted multiple commands, including for DeSilva to show his hands and to drop the knife.

Mauris DeSilva

Taylor and Karl Krycia, another officer, shot at DeSilva.

Cast, who was behind Taylor, used his Taser on DeSilva.

Cast was questioned about multiple stills of the footage.

He was asked by state's attorney Rob Drummond where the knife was. Cast answered it was down by DeSilva's side.

Drummond asked if Cast believed DeSilva was trying to murder any of the officers based on the photos. Cast responded it's a possibility.

Defense attorney Ken Ervin talked about how a 21-feet rule is a guideline for how far away a threat would be for an officer to have time to take out their gun.

Ervin demonstrated with a tape measure and fake Taser that DeSilva was only about six feet away from the officers.

Ervin mentioned if the Taser didn't work, Cast wouldn't have had time to reload before DeSilva got closer with a knife.

Cast says if he had his gun out instead of his Taser, he would've shot DeSilva because he was an imminent threat.

The Travis County Deputy Medical Examiner was called to testify.

However, because she didn't personally do DeSilva's autopsy, both the state and defense had to flesh out if her testimony was usable. The judge ruled the medical examiner could do limited testimony, but not get into specifics like trajectory and bullet wounds. 

The day ended with testimony from Officer Phillip Zuniga, who also responded with Taylor.