Calls Grow For WilCo Sheriff To Resign After In-Custody Death

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — Members of the Texas Democratic Party on Wednesday added their voices to a growing chorus calling for Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody to resign after the death of a black man repeatedly hit with a stun gun as he told deputies he was unable to breathe.

Although the death of Javier Ambler, a 40-year-old father of two from Pflugerville, occurred on March 28, 2019, details on his passing while in the custody of Williamson County Sheriff's Office deputies only came into light this week after video of his arrest surfaced. After months of requests for information, the Austin American-Statesman and its news partner KVUE obtained footage of the arrest. Graphic police bodycam footage shows Ambler alerting to his heart condition before being repeatedly tased.

Ambler's body later went limp, prompting resuscitation efforts that proved futile. Ambler died about one hour later.

"My heart breaks for Javier Ambler, his family, his friends, and for our community," Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said on Wednesday in a prepared statement. "Another unarmed black man was killed by police. The fact that Javier was killed while a reality show camera crew filmed the interaction sickens me. The fact that Sheriff Chody allowed this to happen and then fought for 15 months to cover it up is inexcusable."

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The sheriff — who often touted participation of his force on the "Live PD" broadcast via Twitter — must be held to account, Hinojosa said. "Black Lives Matter, and Sheriff Chody must face the consequences."

Cameras for the reality show "Live PD," which showcases police action, were rolling at the time, heightening controversy over the sheriff's office participation in the program. In an emailed statement to Patch, a spokesman for the A&E cable network that airs the program said the footage never aired given Ambler's death. The spokesperson also claimed the Travis County District Attorney's Office that is now conducting an investigation never requested the footage, which he suggested has since been destroyed.

Late Wednesday, the company that produced Live PD announced the show had been canceled as news of Ambler's death garnered national headlines. "Shocked & beyond disappointed about this," host Dan Abrams wrote on Twitter. "To the loyal LivePDNation, pleaase know I, we, did everything we could to fight for you, and for our continuing effort at transparency in policing. I was convinved the show would go on."

A similar show, the long-running Cops, was canceled this week as well amid civil unrest over police brutality and a disproportionate arrest of black men.

Hours earlier, Chody retweeted a post from Abrams taking the reporting of Ambler's death to task. The Statesman "...should really focus on the death of Javier Ambler and on the fact that DA @ElectMargaret (note the twitter handle) is suddenly focused on this now even though she had the body cam footage for over a year? Their reporting on #LivePd has been a journalistic disaster," he wrote. Atop the retweet, a single-word summation from Chody: Agreed.

Citing an inability to secure "Live PD" footage that could yield needed police evidence (the show's producers retain film as proprietary property) and the sense that deputies policed more aggressively with those they ensnared for the benefit of the camera, Williamson County Commissioner Court members cut ties with the cable show in August 2019.

Unhappy with the decision, Chody later reignited the relationship without commissioners' knowledge in a move that prompted them to take the unusual step of suing the sheriff to prevent him from restarting the relationship.

Ambler was stopped by deputies for failing to dim his headlights as he passed them. He was taken to the ground after crashing his vehicle just outside Austin after a 22-minute police pursuit. The man was passing through Williamson County on his way home after having participated in a friendly poker game with friends, according to the media outlets.

On behalf of Texas Democrats, Hinojosa called for Chody to resign: “Sheriff Chody must step down immediately. Texas’ Republican leadership — Gov. [Greg] Abbott, Lt. Gov [Dan] Patrick, and Sens. [John] Cornyn and [Ted] Cruz — must join Texas Democrats in calling for his prompt resignation and full accountability.”

Others previously made similar calls for Chody's resignation, including county commissioners Terry Cook and Cynthia Long. State Reps. John Bucy III and James Talarico also have called for Chody's resignation.

The sheriff on Tuesday took a dismissive stance on some of those calls, framing some as politically motivated:

• "In terms of Commissioner Cook, it is not surprising to me to see a left-leaning member of the court call for my resignation," Chody wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. "Across our country, Democrats are turning against law enforcement and attempting to remove its funding and leadership. Their agenda recognizes no distinctions between incidents and presumes guilt before due process. I will not back down in the face of such a partisan and cynical move."
• "Representive Talarico has done zero for law enforcement in regards to the county in his two years in office," Chody wrote in response to the representative's statement. "Another progressive who wants to defund police. I'll accept his resignation instead."

A growing number of residents also have called for Chody's ouster in a community petition quickly acquring signatures. A separate petition calling for the two Williamson County deputies involved in the incident to be held accountable has collected more than 9,000 signatures by Wednesday afternoon.