Austin Protest-Related Videos Won't Be Soon Released: Police

AUSTIN, TX — Police have opted not to immediately release video of officer-involved incidents during May protests in which two civilians were seriously hurt by beanbag projectiles hurled at their heads.

After considerable backlash at the way police behaved against protesters calling for law enforcement reform, Police Chief Brian Manley initially vowed to release related video after a 60-day time frame as allowed by the state penal code. But on July 15, Manley said the video of protest-related use of force would not be released during the time window as the cases continue to be investigated.

Police on Friday blamed a further delay on video release on the Travis County District Attorney's Office, saying officials there have yet to make a final prosecutorial determination in each of the cases. The cases remain under investigation by the Austin Police Department in partnership with the Travis County District Attorney's (TCDA) Office, officials said.

"Because of this, the videos will not be released until a final decision is made by the TCDA as to whether the cases will be presented to a grand jury," police wrote in an advisory.

After losing the primary election to a Democratic candidate in mid-July, Margaret Moore reversed course on empaneling a grand jury to hear the case of an officer-involved fatal shooting that left an unarmed Michael Ramos, 42, dead after a brief confrontation outside a South Austin apartment complex. She later said she would leave the grand jury empaneling to her predecessor come November.