The Travis County district attorney still plans to pursue criminal charges in four cases. The officers whose cases are being dismissed will be allowed to return to duty.

Two Texas police officers have been indicted muon murder charges in a line-of-duty fatal shooting of an Austin scientist.

AUSTIN, Texas – A murder warrant was issued Wednesday for the arrest of a Texas police officer involved in shooting an unarmed drug suspect. Austin police Officer Christopher Taylor is accused in the warrant of murder in the April 24 shooting death of Michael Ramos. Taylor, who wasn’t immediately in custody, has been on leave from the Austin Police Department since the shooting and has not faced a disciplinary hearing. Demonstrators in Austin invoked Ramos’ name when they took to the streets to protest the May killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Austin Mayor Steve Adler called the shooting “disturbing” after viewing a video captured by a bystander.

A protester holds a sign at a rally for George Floyd and Michael Ramos at Austin Police headquarters on May 30, 2020. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneA murder warrant was issued Wednesday for the arrest of the Austin police officer who shot and killed Michael Ramos last year, according to the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. The Travis County District Attorney’s Office has previously said that Taylor’s criminal case in Ramos’ killing would be presented to a grand jury this month. Michael Ramos was shot and killed by Austin police officer Christopher Taylor last year. Credit: Social mediaAdThe videos show officers ordering Ramos to exit his vehicle, hold his hands up and lift his shirt. AdThe city cut the budget following calls for defunding following the deaths of Ramos, Ambler and Floyd.

FILE - In this March 21, 2018 file photo, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley briefs the media in the Austin suburb of Round Rock, Texas. Austin officials said Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, that Manley is stepping down after leading the police force since May of 2018. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)AUSTIN, Texas – The police chief in the Texas capital city of Austin, who had been at the center of ongoing criticism following a fatal police shooting and controversial uses of force by officers, announced Friday that he is retiring after 30 years with the department. Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said he knows in his heart “it is time to pursue that next opportunity” and does not think he could give the attention necessary to leading the police force as he has done since May 2018. The city announced in December that 11 Austin police officers had been disciplined for their actions during late May protests.

Social mediaTravis County District Attorney Margaret Moore will not bring two significant officer use-of-force cases to a grand jury before she leaves office this year, her office said Wednesday. The move delays the prosecution of the cases related to the deaths of Javier Ambler and Michael Ramos, both of whom died at the hands of law enforcement officers. Moore previously planned to present both cases to a special grand jury in August. Before he died, Ambler told the officers he had congestive heart failure and couldnt breathe. Moore said she directed her offices civil rights unit to continue preparing both cases for the grand jury so they will be ready to present to the grand jury as soon as the newly elected District Attorney takes office.

AUSTIN, Texas Austin would cut 100 police officer vacancies and postpone the graduation of its July cadets as part of a broader effort to overhaul its police department, the city manager proposed to the City Council in a memo Thursday. The council's votes to change how the department operates followed weeks of protests over the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Michael Ramos in Austin. Ramos, who was black and Hispanic, was fatally shot by Austin police April 24 while he was driving away from officers. In his proposal, Cronk said the July 2020 cadet class' graduation should be delayed until after the City Council's recommendations drawn from an internal police training audit can be implemented. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

On Monday, the reported 593 more cases of the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of known cases to 64,880. In the last week, the state reported an average of 1,273 new cases per day. Harris County has reported the most cases, 12,276, followed by Dallas County, which has reported 10,234 cases. In the last week, the state reported an average 22 additional deaths per day. Harris County reported one additional death Monday, bringing its total to 232 deaths, more than any other county.

Protesters gathered in downtown Austin Sunday afternoon, spurred by the deaths of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis police custody Monday, and Michael Ramos, who was shot to death by an Austin police officer in late April. Chanting, APD are murderers and, No justice, no peace, protesters marched toward the state Capitol and Austin City Hall. A group began to form next to the fence of the Capitol shortly before 1 p.m., according to a video stream from KVUE. At least one person was hit with tear gas, protesters told a Texas Tribune photographer. Sundays protest was not organized by the Austin Justice Coalition or Black Lives Matter.