"TODAY
"TODAY WE
"TODAY WE HAVE TAKEN A SIGNIFICANT STEP TOWARD JUSTICE FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND FOR THE
RAMOS FAMILY"
THE AUSTIN POLICE OFFICER --
CHARGED WITH KILLING
MICHAEL RAMOS -- INDICTED BY
THE TRAVIS COUNTY GRAND
JURY.
JURY.
JURY. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS
MIDDAY. I'M ASHLEY GOUDEAU.
IT HAS BEEN NEARLY A YEAR SINCE
THE DEADLY
SHOOTING AT A SOUTHEAST AUSTIN
APARTMENT
COMPLEX.
APARTMENT COMPLEX. OFFICER CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR IS
CHARGED WITH
FIRST DEGREE MURDER.
KVUE SENIOR REPORTER TONY
PLOHETSKI BROKE THIS STORY LAST NIGHT.
HE'S JOINING US NOW TO TALK
ABOUT THE NEXT STEPS.
TONY --
TONY --
TONY -- THE DA SAID THIS MORNING THAT
THIS
THIS IS
THIS IS A
THIS IS A PATH TOWARD JUSTICE FOR THE RAMOS FAMILY... WE DO KNOW AT THIS POINT THAT
OFFICER
OFFICER CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR HAS TURNED HIMSELF IN ON THAT MURDER CHARGE.
CHARGE.
CHARGE. AS PART OF HIS RELEASE ON BOND,
HE HAD TO AGREE NOT TO HAVE A JOB THAT REQUIRED HIM
TO HAVE A GUN AND HAD TO
SURRENDER
SURRENDER HIS PERSONAL FIREARMS. HIS ATTORNEYS IN A NEW STATEMENT SAY THAT GARZA HAD
PREJUDGED THIS CASE PRIOR TO
TAKING OFFICE
AND THAT THIS INDICTMENT IS ALL
ABOUT MAKING GOOD
ON A CAMPAIGN PROMISE.
GARZA RAN ON A PLATFORM OF
POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY
.
.
12:18
12:18 -
12:18 - 12:36 MY HEART CONTINUES TO BREAK FOR THE RAMOS FAMILY. WE
HAVE MUCH MORE WORK AHEAD OF US.
BUT WE KNOW HOLDING LAW
ENFORCEMENT ACCOUNTABLE WHEN
THEY BREAK THE LAW IS
CRITICAL TO RESTORING THE TRUST
OF OUR COMMUNITY AND TO
ENSURING ITS SAFETY
THERE IS NO WORD ON WHEN THIS
CASE MAY GO TO TRIAL.
THAT IS OFTEN A LONG PROCESS.
ASHLEY -- THIS CASE COULD BE A
POTENTIAL
POTENTIAL LANDMARK CASE FOR WHERE OUR COMMUNITY HERE IN AUSTIN STANDS ON
POLICE USING DEADLY FORCE.
NO INDICATION THAT AN A-P-D
OFFICER HAS EVER BEEN
CONVICTED OF MURDER FOR AN
ON-DUTY SHOOTING.
ON-DUTY SHOOTING.
CONVICTED
CONVICTED OF MURDER FOR AN ON-DUTY SHOOTING.
ON-DUTY SHOOTING.
TONY
TONY TALKED SOME ABOUT RAMOS DEATH -- BUT KVUE'S BOB BUCKALEW HAS A IN-DEPTH LOOK AT
THE SHOOTING AND
AFTERMATH.
WE WANT TO WARN YOU -- THE VIDEO
IN THIS STORY IS
GRAPHIC AND MAY BE DISTURBING.
IT BEGAN ON APRIL 24, 2020 WHEN
AN AUSTIN 9-1-1 OPERATOR RECEIVED A CALL -- THE CALLER
CLAIMS A MAN IS INSIDE
A PARKED CAR HOLDING A WOMAN AT
GUNPOINT.
SOUND EXCERPT -
INTO
INTO STORY BOB: POLICE SHOW UP AND FIND THE CAR
IN AN APARTMENT
PARKING
PARKING LOT IN SOUTHEAST AUSTIN. INSIDE THE CAR IS MIKE RAMOS. POLICE WITH GUNS DRAWN AND
POINTING AT HIM, DEMANDED
THAT RAMOS EXIT THE CAR, HE DID,
BUT WOULDN'T
SURRENDER CLAIMING HE HAD DONE
NOTHING
WRONG.
NOTHING WRONG. IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT EVEN
THOUGH THE 911 CALLER
CLAIMED RAMOS HAD A WEAPON...IT
TURNED OUT
THAT POLICE NEVER FOUND A GUN.
AS THE STANDOFF CONTINUED...AN
OFFICER FIRED A
NON LETHAL BEAN BAG ROUND. BOB:
RAMOS WOULD GET BACK IN HIS CAR
AND DRIVE AWAY FROM
POLICE
POLICE TOWARD A DEAD END.AND WITHIN SECONDS.OFFICER CHRISTOPHER
TAYLOR WOULD
FIRE HIS RIFLE.KILLING RAMOS. A
POLICE BODY CAM CAPTURED THAT
MOMENT.
MOMENT. BOB: THE DEATH OF MIKE RAMOS.WHICH HAPPENED JUST
HAPPENED JUST
A
A WEEK
A WEEK BEFORE GEORGE FLOYD DIED IN POLICE CUSTODY IN MINNEAPOLIS SET OFF PROTESTS IN
AUSTIN THAT
LASTED FOR DAYS.
POLICE USED BEAN BAG ROUNDS, AND
TEAR GAS TO
BREAK UP CROWDS THAT HAD BLOCKED
INTERSTATE 35
.PROTESTORS SURRODJED TOHE
POLICE STATION AND
MARCHED THROUGH DOWNTOWN. THERE
WER
NUMEROUS ARRESTS..
THE MURDER INDICTMENT OF OFFICER
TAYLOR WEDNESDAY IS
THE LATEST CHAPTER IN A STORY
THAT BEGAN ON A
WARM APRIL AFTERNOON JUST UNDER
YEAR AGO.
YEAR AGO.
BOB
BOB BUCKALEW KVUE NEWS. RAMOS' MOTHER SAYS THE
INDICTMENT IS ONE STEP TOWARDS JUSTICE -- BUT SHE WANTS
POLICE REFORM.
POLICE REFORM. "I WAKE UP AT NIGHT WITH TEARS
IN MY EYES, JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT, MY BABY'S EXPRESSION ON
HIS FACE."
"THERE'S GOOD COPS AND THERE'S
BAD COPS, YOU KNOW, BUT THOSE
BAD ONES REALLY SHOULDN'T BE IN
THE POLICE FORCE. THEY SHOULD BE
IN
IN
THE
THE SERVICE IF THEY WANT, YOU KNOW, TO MURDER.."
STATE SENATOR SARAH ECKHARDT
PLANS TO FILE "THE MIKE RAMOS ACT" TODAY. THE
BILL REQUIRES DEPARTMENTS TO
RELEASE
BODYCAM FOOTAGE IF SOMEONE IS
KILLED --
MAKES DE-ESCALATION AND
USE-OF-FORCE TRAINING
AVAILABLE TO TEXAS POLICE
DEPARTMENTS --
AND GIVES THE STATE THE POWER TO
REVOKE THE
LICENSE OF AN OFFICER.
SENATOR ECKHARDT IS HOLDING A
NEWS
CONFERENCE ABOUT THE LEGISLATION
AT 12:30 THIS
AFTERNOON.