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Austin police officer Christopher Taylor sentenced to 2 years for fatal on-duty shooting in 2019

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Austin police officer Christopher Taylor sentenced to 2 years for fatal on-duty shooting in 2019


Christopher Taylor, the first Austin police officer to be convicted for an on-duty shooting in the department’s modern history, has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Taylor’s attorneys are appealing Tuesday’s decision from Travis County District Court Judge Dayna Blazey.

Taylor fatally shot Mauris DeSilva at his downtown condo in 2019. DeSilva was in a mental health crisis and holding a knife. Taylor’s attorneys argued he acted within APD’s training and was defending himself. Travis County prosecutors argued he didn’t need to kill DeSilva.

After the sentencing, DeSilva’s father told Taylor his actions were “ignorant,” that his son was having a mental health episode, and that he posed no threat to him. Denzil DeSilva, who locked eyes with Taylor, said he needed to pay for breaking the law, same as anyone else.

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“You have to accept that punishment,” he said. “I am not happy sending a person to … prison. But if they’ve [made] a mistake, even [if it is] my child, you have to pay for that.”

A jury deliberated for 30 hours before finding Taylor guilty of deadly conduct in October. Convictions for on-duty shootings are rare in Texas.

Taylor’s attorneys opted to let Blazey decide his sentence, rather than a jury. Under state law, judges are required to sentence people convicted of a crime involving a deadly weapon to prison. Had Taylor been sentenced by a jury, he could have been given probation.

That decision loomed over the sentencing, with Taylor’s attorney, Ken Ervin, arguing Blazey could commute his client’s sentence to probation. The judge disagreed.

In closing arguments, Ervin argued his client didn’t deviate from his training. He said witness testimony, which included two former APD chiefs, proved it was “a legally justified shooting.”

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“If there is in fact a problem,” Ervin said, “it’s inherently unfair then to punish one individual when the broad consensus is [that] what he did was right.”

Defense attorneys also stressed, as they did through the trial, that Taylor’s conviction – and possible prison sentence – would have a lasting impact on APD, a department that’s struggled for years to recruit and retain officers.

Prosecutors pushed back, saying Taylor didn’t follow protocol in this case – or in the 2020 shooting of Mike Ramos. County Prosecutor Dexter Filkins argued Texas counties can – and do – prosecute wrongdoing by police officers. Filkins said Travis County’s decision to prosecute Taylor was necessary: He broke the law when he killed DeSilva.

Harris County and Dallas County and Tarrant County … have prosecuted police officers,” he said. “This is not some kind of unique Travis County campaign.”

Taylor was released on bond, according to the Austin American-Stateman. His attorneys have already appealed the sentence.

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Longtime Austin criminal defense attorney George Lobb, who was not involved with the case, said the decision to put the case before Blazey – and not a jury – was “odd” given the law. But, he added, it’s likely Gov. Greg Abbott will issue a pardon.

“I see no reason why he wouldn’t do that,” Lobb said. “There’s no political capital lost.”

Abbott drew national headlines earlier this year for his pardon of Daniel Perry, the former Army sergeant convicted of murdering a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020. The governor could issue a pardon or clemency to reduce Taylor’s sentence, but only after a recommendation from the state’s Board of Pardons and Paroles. Given that the board is comprised of members appointed by Abbott, Lobb said, a recommendation could come soon.

Taylor was also tried for murder last year in the on-duty fatal shooting of Mike Ramos. Taylor shot Ramos, who was unarmed and fleeing in a car, near a Southeast Austin apartment complex in 2020. That case ended in a mistrial.

In a statement to KUT, Austin’s Assistant City Manager Eddie Garcia said he was “disheartened by the outcome” of the case, adding that he was “mindful” of the impact the decision would have on Austin police officers.

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“We are also acutely aware that policing procedures must evolve, particularly around de-escalation tactics and responding to mental health crises,” he said. “From the top leadership of the Austin Police Department to our rank-in-file officers, we are committed to making those changes and are focused on building trust in our community and creating a safe city for everyone.”





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Austin, TX

Austin, TX venue Emo’s on the move again, AEG to take over the building

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Austin, TX venue Emo’s on the move again, AEG to take over the building


Emo’s in Austin is on the move again. 

After more than a decade at 2015 E. Riverside Drive (following the original Red River-era venue closing in 2011), Emo’s current Riverside space will be taken over by AEG Presents when the lease ends later this year. The Los Angeles, CA-based company will assume operations in January 2027 and plans to reopen the building under a new name in early 2027 following upgrades, renovations and a full rebrand.

AEG are also opening a new 4,000-cap venue nearby next spring as part of the River Park mixed-use development in southeast Austin.

C3 Presents, who reopened Emo’s at the Riverside location, say this isn’t the end of Emo’s — they’re working on a new home and plan to move the venue back to downtown Austin, with more updates to come.

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AEG Presents Vice President Robin Phillips shared the following:

There’s like no weirdness or any bad blood or anything. It just, you know, new lease and they’ll [Emo’s] go do something great. They have been important to the Austin music scene, so I have a lot of respect for them.

But I don’t think the Austin music scene or legacy is limited to one name. I know people will remember the original Emo’s and this Emo’s as, you know, both great venues… And I don’t think Austin’s music scene is just a name, it’s the artists, in my opinion.

 

A C3 spokesperson added:

Emo’s has a long history in Austin and we’ve been working behind the scenes for some time on a new home for this venue. After we wrap up at this venue in December, we will focus our efforts on our new location.

 

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Emo’s gave the following statement to Austin local news KXAN:

We’re grateful for all of the fans and artists who’ve shaped Emo’s to what it is today: a community of like-minded people who love live music. We have a vision for our future and will be moving into a new building downtown that celebrates our punk rock roots with the new amenities that fans are looking for from a venue. We’ll continue to share updates on the next chapter for Emo’s on social media.





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Highly pathogenic virus found in herd of Texas dairy cows

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Highly pathogenic virus found in herd of Texas dairy cows


State and federal agriculture officials said highly pathogenic avian flu has been found in a herd of dairy cows in Texas.

What we know:

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Officials said the H5N1 virus was confirmed with laboratory tests in late May after cows at an unspecified farm became sick and milk production dropped. The dairy has since been quarantined and an investigation is underway.

This is the first case of avian flu in a Texas dairy herd this year, officials said.

What they’re saying:

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“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is confident that pasteurization is effective at inactivating H5N1, and that the commercial, pasteurized milk supply is safe,” officials at the Texas Animal Health Commission said in a statement.

A dairy cow is seen at a farm on June 1, 2026.

A dairy cow is seen at a farm on June 1, 2026. (Tim Evans/Bloomberg / Getty Images)

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Dig deeper:

H5N1 has a high rate of severe disease and death in animals that become infected.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk to the general public from avian flu is low. Some sporadic human infections have been reported around the world since 1997. There have been no known cases of person-to-person spreading of avian flu.

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The Source: Information in this story came from the Texas Animal Health Commission, the USDA, the FDA and the CDC.

TexasHealthPets and AnimalsFood and Drink



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New Texas law tightens rules for autonomous vehicle companies, including Waymo

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New Texas law tightens rules for autonomous vehicle companies, including Waymo


Self-driving cars have become a common sight on Austin streets, but a new Texas law is adding tougher requirements for the companies behind the wheelless vehicles.

Senate Bill 2807 imposes stricter rules on autonomous vehicle companies operating in the state, including state authorization, emergency response plans for law enforcement, and a public portal where residents can verify operators and file safety complaints.

The changes come as Austin continues to track incidents involving autonomous vehicles. The city’s autonomous vehicle dashboard shows 75 incidents in 2026, including a collision, eight near misses, and seven incidents of ignoring police direction.

Attorney Drew Gibbs, a partner at Slingshot Law, said one crash involved a Waymo vehicle.

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“There was a T-bone collision. A pretty serious T-bone collision where a Waymo just crashed into the side of my client’s vehicle,” Gibbs said.

ALSO| Waymo files voluntary software recall over flooded-lane risks on high-speed roads

KEYE

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One of the incidents of ignoring police direction happened during the mass shooting on West Sixth Street back in March, when three people died, and 15 others were injured.

Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock said autonomous vehicles can struggle in unusual situations.

“It didn’t impede on anything in the moment, but it’s not necessarily uncommon where these vehicles don’t quite know how to deal with these one-off scenarios,” Bullock said.

The new law requires autonomous vehicle companies to be authorized by the state, to provide an emergency response plan for law enforcement, and to participate in a public-facing portal that allows the public to verify operators and submit safety complaints.

Kara Kockelman, a professor of transportation and engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, welcomed the added oversight.

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“I’m glad that the state is taking this a bit more seriously now,” she said. “It’s important not to just let others slip in without kind of meeting those basic minimums.”

Bullock said the emergency planning requirement may not make a major difference in fast-moving situations. Asked how impactful it is to have a fully laid out emergency response plan, Bullock said, “These plans are great, but it takes time to work through all of those versus the immediacy of having someone behind the wheel.”

The four autonomous vehicle companies operating in Austin — Waymo, Zoox, AV-Ride, and Tesla — are all state-authorized.

The Texas DMV said an autonomous vehicle company can lose its authorization to operate in Texas if the agency deems the vehicles are operating in a way that endangers public safety.

Waymo was contacted for comment, but had not responded.

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