AUSTIN — Former Austin Police Department Officer Christopher Taylor sued APD Chief Lisa Davis in 2025 after she declined to reinstate him following the overturning of his conviction in the 2019 shooting death of Mauris DeSilva. Taylor filed the lawsuit several months after a Texas appeals court reversed his deadly conduct conviction in December 2025, ruling there was insufficient evidence to support it.
Taylor was fired from the Austin Police Department solely because he lost his peace officer license after his conviction, according to the lawsuit. The Texas state licensing authority reinstated his peace officer license after the appeals court overturned the conviction. Taylor’s lawsuit claims Chief Davis was legally obligated to return him to the force, which she has not done. The city of Austin said in a statement that it will defend the suit in court.
On July 31, 2019, Taylor and another officer responded to the Spring Condominiums in Downtown Austin after DeSilva, a 46-year-old man, was seen holding a knife while appearing to suffer a mental health episode. The officers entered the building and found DeSilva threatening to injure himself with the knife. Officers told DeSilva to drop the weapon, but he did not comply. Taylor opened fire, and DeSilva was taken to a hospital but later died.
Taylor was initially indicted for murder in the incident, but the charge was downgraded to deadly conduct before trial. In October 2024, a jury found him guilty, and he was sentenced to two years in prison, though he remained free on bond during his appeal.