A grand jury in Texas has indicted 19 Austin police officers on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with their actions during 2020 protests over police brutality and the death of George Floyd, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza spoke to reporters on Thursday afternoon about the grand jury, but did not share any details, including how many officers were indicted. Austin Police Association President Ken Cassidy said "numerous officers" have been indicted, but did not have the exact number. He called the indictments "devastating" and accused Garza of "ruin[ing] lives and careers simply to fulfill a campaign promise."
Garza said his office will prosecute anyone who causes harm, and believes "our community is safer when our community trusts 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."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Earlier Thursday, the Austin City Council approved two settlements for people injured by police during the protests — $8 million will go to Justin Howell, who suffered a cracked skull and brain damage after being hit by a beanbag round, and $2 million will go to Anthony Evans, whose jaw was damaged after he was hit by a beanbag round. At the time of the protests, Howell was 20 and Evans was 26.
The settlements are reminders of "a real difficult and painful moment in our city," Austin Mayor Steve Adler said.
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
Sudoku medium: August 23, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Sudoku hard: August 23, 2025The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfullySpeed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records requestSpeed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by TrumpSpeed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank planSpeed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutionalSpeed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for riflesSpeed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBISpeed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summitSpeed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'
