AUSTIN, TX – A grand jury in Texas has indicted 19 Austin police officers for felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for their actions during the violent protests and riots in 2020.
19 Austin police officers indicted from investigation into 2020 protests, sources say https://t.co/PGAUOkHOwo
— Reevyn Aronson (@reevynap) February 19, 2022
Anonymous sources allegedly are reporting that 19 police officers of the Austin Police Department have been indicted on felony charges. A report that has been partially confirmed by Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday who confirmed the indictments but claimed he did not know the specific charges.
Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza spoke to reporters on February 17th about the grand jury being convened but did not release any details of their findings. He said:
“Our community is safer when our community trusts [law] enforcement. When it believes law enforcement follows that law and protects the people who live here. There cannot be trust if there is no accountability when law enforcement breaks the law.”
Texas State Law requires that the indictments stay sealed until the officers have been arrested. If they have been indicted with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, the officers could face life in prison.
The Austin DA just indicted 19 police officers for using excessive force during the 2020 protests. Among them is Justin Berry, a police union VP with a history of fearmongering who is… on the ballot for a seat in the state House in the GOP primary. https://t.co/HUD5iAPquK
— Taniel (@Taniel) February 21, 2022
Casaday said news of the indictments would be “devastating” for the officers that work in the city. Although he believes the indictments will be devastating to the police department, he believes that none of the officers will be convicted.
Casaday noted that Garza promised during his campaign to hold officers responsible when they commit crimes. Because of his campaign promise, he believes the investigation is politically motivated. He said:
“DA Garza ran on a platform to indict police officers and has not missed the opportunity to ruin lives and careers simply to fulfill a campaign promise.”
Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon, who took over after former Chief Brian Manley stepped down, noted that he respects the grand jury process but was “extremely disappointed” in their alleged ruling.
Chief Chacon explained that the officers who dealt with the violent protests and riots were trained and equipped to handle hundreds of people instead of the thousands that came to Austin.
The officers face charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for their actions during the protests after the killing of George Floyd, sources said. https://t.co/Jy9Vejru1v
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) February 18, 2022
Chief Chacon, who undoubtedly has been fully briefed on his officers’ actions in 2020 before he took over, does not believe there were any criminal offenses committed during the protests and riots. He said:
“I am not aware of any conduct, that given the circumstances that the officers were working under, would rise to the level of a criminal violation by these officers.”
Chief Chacon noted that the beanbags that were fired during the protests did not always perform as they should. This could mean that the officers may have been intending to strike one person, but the beanbag malfunctioned and struck an unintended target.
The news of the indictments come after the City of Austin settled two lawsuits regarding the force that was used in 2020. The largest of the settlements that was approved by the city, $8 million, was awarded to Justin Howell.
Howell was present during one of the violent protests and riots in which multiple people allegedly began throwing rocks and water bottles at officers. Officers responded to the violence by firing beanbag rounds into the crowd and struck Howell, who according to police, was not the intended target.
The round struck Howell in the head and allegedly left him with brain damage.
If Casaday is accurate and this investigation and grand jury indictment are nothing more than a witch hunt, the shockwave it will cause with law enforcement will not only affect the Austin area, but the entire country.
Officer cleared! DA rules Wisconsin cop justified for shooting knife-wielding criminal
According to a criminal complaint, authorities received a 911 hang-up call on Nov. 3, 2021, at approximately 2:39 p.m.
The caller, who was hiding in the bedroom of a Selma Street home with another female. said that the female’s ex-boyfriend LeKenneth Miller had broken into the home and was trying to get into the locked bedroom they were hiding in.
They also said he had gone to the kitchen and retrieved a knife.
The dispatcher tried to have the two women escape through a window, but they could not do so.
Responding officers reported hearing screaming inside the home as they arrived at the scene. The 911 dispatcher also heard screaming over the telephone.
City of Eau Claire Police Officers Kristopher O’Neill and Jason Kaveney drew their service weapons, ran toward the house, and attempted to access the locked front door by kicking it in.
Unsuccessful, they ran to a side door where they were met by the caller, who was running out of the house and hysterically screaming that Miller had stabbed her friend.
Police entered the home and heard the female screaming. Police encountered Miller holding a knife in the kitchen and ordered him to drop the weapon.
He refused and moved toward officers. At that point, according to police, Officer O’Neill shot Miller multiple times.
Police quickly searched the home and found the female victim in the bathroom suffering from multiple stab wounds. The victim was airlifted to Mayo Hospital in Rochester for treatment.
No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident. The female victim has not been identified by police.
The Eau Claire County District Attorney’s Office concluded:
“The Eau Claire Country District Attorney’s Office has determined that the actions of City of Eau Claire Police Officer Kristopher O’Neil on November 3, 2021, in the course of his law enforcement duties in the city and county of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, were reasonable acts of self-defense and defense of others.”
The officers were also praised by their police department, who called them heroes:
“Officers Kris O’Neill and Jason Kaveney took decisive and necessary action to protect members of our community.
“When doing so, they put themselves in harm’s way. Once LeKenneth Miller’s violent behavior was stopped, officers immediately began administering life-saving measures to both Miller and the person he was attacking with a knife. The actions of these officers were heroic.”
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