Christopher Taylor, former APD officer, files lawsuit in reinstatement fight

AUSTIN, Texas - The legal battle surrounding former APD officer Christopher Taylor is taking a new turn. This time, the fight isn't in a criminal court, but a civil one.

Taylor is suing to get his job back. He claims the department unlawfully blocked his reinstatement and violated his civil service rights. 

The backstory:

Just six months after an appeals court overturned his conviction in a deadly officer-involved shooting, Christopher Taylor is now suing Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis. 

The root of the lawsuit dates back to July 2019, when Taylor was responding to a man suffering a mental health episode in a downtown Austin condo. 

Body camera footage showed the man, Mauris DeSilva, holding a knife at his own throat. Once DeSilva began walking toward the officers with the weapon in hand, Taylor and another officer fired their weapons. 

DeSilva died on the scene. 

"We have never claimed to be mental health experts, yet we are continually scrutinized for our handling of these situations," said Michael Bullock, Austin Police Association President, back in January 2025. 

Taylor was eventually sentenced to two years in prison after a jury found him guilty of deadly conduct in October 2024. Due to that decision, Chief Davis labeled the termination as "non-disciplinary."

"Officer Krycia fired his weapon 0.027 seconds after Chris Taylor. All of their actions were nearly identical. Karl Krycia’s case gets dismissed, and Chris Taylor's case goes to trial. There's no logical consistency with how the district attorney's office handled those two cases," said Doug O'Connell, Taylor's defense attorney, back in December 2025.

But everything changed when the Seventh Court of Appeals overturned the conviction and fully acquitted Taylor. They ruled that the video evidence proved his actions were justified as self-defense. 

APA argues that since Taylor's felony conviction was reversed, and his peace officer license was fully restored, there is no longer a legal basis to keep him fired. 

According to the lawsuit, Chief Davis won't reinstate Taylor unless he agrees to two major conditions:

• Waiving his right to seek back pay
• Allowing APD to reopen the internal administration investigations into his past shootings on the job

Taylor's legal team claims the demands violate civil service laws. 

He is asking a judge to block APD from reopening past internal investigations and is ordering Chief Davis to restore his rank and pay.

According to the City of Austin, it is aware of the lawsuit, but has not been formally served yet.