An appeals court has overturned the conviction of Austin police officer Christopher Taylor in a fatal shooting in downtown Austin in 2019, and in a rare move, acquitted Taylor.
Taylor’s lawyer announced the acquittal on social media late Tuesday.
Taylor was convicted of deadly conduct by an Austin jury in the 2019 fatal shooting of Mauris DeSilva, who was suffering from a mental health episode and holding a knife when Taylor shot him in DeSilva’s downtown condo building. The shooting occurred after officers responded to a 911 call about a man with a knife. Officers confronted DeSilva a few feet away from the elevator.
