Christopher Taylor: Murder charge in connection to Michael Ramos' death dismissed by DA

AUSTIN, Texas - A murder charge has been dismissed against former Austin police officer Christopher Taylor in connection with the death of Michael Ramos in 2020.

The Travis County District Attorney's Office dismissed the murder charge on Friday, Feb. 21.

RELATED: Christopher Taylor: Mistrial declared in Michael Ramos murder trial

Taylor is still going through the appeals process for another officer-involved shooting case. Last year, he was convicted of deadly conduct and sentenced to two years in prison for the 2019 shooting death of 46-year-old Mauris DeSilva.

Taylor is currently out of jail on an appeals bond.

What they're saying:

"Judge, we have a motion to dismiss D-1-DC-20-900048 for the reason the defendant was convicted of the offense of deadly conduct in cause number D-1-DC-19-900111," the prosecutor told the court.

Taylor is cleared of all charges in the Ramos case. In 2020, Taylor and several other officers responded to a call at an apartment complex in Southeast Austin when Taylor shot Ramos three times.

In 2023, Taylor was tried for murder, but a jury deadlocked.

"The court finds that there is a manifested necessity that requires me to declare this case as a mistrial," 167th District Court Judge Dayna Blazey said in November 2023.

Taylor’s defense attorney, Doug O’Connell, told FOX 7 after the mistrial: "While this may have been a tragedy, it's absolutely not murder."

In June, the district attorney’s office presented the case to a new grand jury for consideration of new charges. The jury declined to indict. The district attorney’s office could have tried the murder trial again, but on Friday, they dismissed the case.

"The court is going to grant the state’s motion to dismiss," Judge Blazey said.

What happened to Mike Ramos?

What we know:

Mike Ramos was shot and killed during an officer-involved shooting.

In April 2020, APD got a call about a man in a car with a gun possibly doing drugs. The man was 41-year-old Ramos, who was then shot and killed. APD later disclosed Ramos was unarmed.

The shooting occurred in a parking lot at the Rosemont at Oak Valley apartments. A cell phone video shared with FOX 7 Austin shows Ramos with his hands up, showing his waist. He is standing on the driver's side of a car, telling police he is unarmed. 

Police yell commands at Ramos before Ramos is shot once with a bean bag. 

Ramos then gets into a car and attempts to drive away when he is shot three times with a rifle.

Christopher Taylor's deadly conduct trial

What we know:

In October 2024, a jury found Taylor guilty of deadly conduct after he shot and killed Mauris DeSilva while on duty in 2019. 

He was sentenced to two years in prison shortly after.

RELATED: Christopher Taylor deadly conduct trial: Jury finds APD officer guilty

What happened to Mauris DeSilva?

What we know:

On July 31, 2019, Austin police received several 911 calls from the Spring Condominiums in downtown Austin about a man having a mental health crisis holding a knife to his own throat. 

Neighbors reported a man banging loudly on emergency doors who sounded like he was having a mental breakdown.

One officer arrived and was told by staff that the man was a resident and had been holding a knife to his throat while walking around. The officer went inside, got on the elevator and went to the fifth floor gym.

Austin police at the time of the incident said they were told he was waving his knife at the camera, which sped up their need to respond. Four officers and a security guard got on the elevator and when they arrived at the fifth floor, the officers' body cameras caught the rest of the incident.

APD says the officers began giving the man commands and he turned around. The man is seen on body camera footage pulling the knife down towards his side and walking towards the officers. As he took a step or two toward them, two of the officers fired their guns and one fired a Taser, said former APD chief Brian Manley at the time.

EMS and first responders attempted life-saving measures on the man, who was later identified as 46-year-old Dr. Mauris DeSilva. He was transported to a local hospital by EMS and was pronounced dead.