Jury Deadlocked in Austin Police Officer's Murder Trial, Declares Mistrial

A jury was unable to reach a decision on whether Austin police officer Christopher Taylor committed murder in the 2020 shooting of Mike Ramos. The hung jury is a setback for the Travis County District Attorney, who may pursue another trial. Taylor, one of seven officers who responded to a call about drug use, shot Ramos as he attempted to flee. The case gained attention during racial justice protests following the murder of George Floyd. This is the second mistrial in the case, and if retried, Taylor could face up to 99 years in prison. A conviction would be rare, as police officers are seldom prosecuted for fatal on-duty shootings, let alone charged with murder.