Travis County DA To Take Police-Involved Cases To Grand Jury

AUSTIN, TX — Travis County District Attorney José P. Garza said Thursday he will take a pair of high-profile police cases involving the deaths of two men to a grand jury by March 30.

Garza — elected on Nov. 3 on a platform of police reform — released detailed information on the status of every case pending in the Office’s Civil Rights Unit. Two of the cases center on the in-custody death of Javier Ambler and the police shooting of Michael Ramos.

Ambler died on March 28, 2019, while in the custody of Williamson County Sheriff's Office deputies as cameras for the now-defunct reality show "Live PD" filmed the action. Ramos died after being shot by police on April 24 — a police killing that came one month before the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis — that spurred continual local protests by demonstrators decrying police abuse.

Previous coverage:

• Austin Erupts In Protest Over Officer-Involved Killings
  
• Austin Police Release Video Showing Shooting Of Michael Ramos
• No Gun Found On Suspect Killed By Austin Police
  
• Austin Officer-Involved Shooting Case Headed To Grand Jury
  
• Calls Grow For WilCo Sheriff To Resign After In-Custody Death
  
• WilCo Sheriff Chody Indicted Over In-Custody Death Video
  
• Possible Evidence Tampering Probed In WilCo In-Custody Death
  
• New Details Of In-Custody WilCo Death Further Ignite Anger
  
• Rally For Justice Slated For Man Who Died After WilCo Arrest

Additionally, Garza released details about two officer-involved shootings that took place in the first week of 2021. He said his prosecutors responded to the scene within hours of the incidents occurring, and are actively investigating both incidents. Both of those cases also will be presented to the grand jury, Garza said.

“Already this year, there have been two officer-involved shootings," Garza said in a prepared statement. "In total, two people were injured, and Alexander Gonzales was killed. It is a tragedy for our community, and I would like to express my sympathies to the family of Mr. Gonzales, and to everyone who has been affected. Our community has been clear that when law enforcement officers use deadly force, prosecutors must investigate the case quickly and with transparency, to ensure that no one is above the law.”

In September of 2020, then-District Attorney Margaret Moore announced her office would defer the presentation of two officer-involved shooting incidents — one involving Ramos and the other centered on Ambler — to a Travis County grand jury until Garza assumed leadership of the office after winning the election. Garza now will present both cases to a Travis County Grand Jury prior to the expiration of its term on March 30.

In addition to the cases of Ramos and Ambler, there are six additional cases involving an officer-involved shooting or death in the custody of a law enforcement officer all of which occurred prior to Garza’s tenure as district attorney. The oldest of these cases dates back to March 2018, and the DA's office will be presenting each of them to a Travis County Grand Jury.

Garza said his office will be providing a regular status update every 14 days until each has been presented to a grand jury. With the exception of the cases involving Ambler and Ramos, the DA's office plans to present these cases to a grand jury in chronological order of the date of the incident. After the expiration of the current grand jury’s term in March, the office will be empaneling additional grand juries to hear these cases, Garza said. He added that presentation of these cases will begin by June of this year.

“Holding law enforcement accountable when they commit a crime is critical to public trust and confidence in the fair administration of justice,” said Dexter Gilford, the Civil Rights Division director. “The Travis County District Attorney’s Office is committed to holding accountable those charged with enforcing the law and ensuring public safety when they have violated the law.”