Travis and Williamson County DAs announce joint investigation into Javier Ambler case
AUSTIN, Texas - Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore and Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick have released a joint statement announcing the two offices are working jointly on the Javier Ambler case.
Photo from Facebook page of Javier Gata Ambler posted on May 26, 2016.
"Our Offices are in the process of a joint investigation into the death of Javier Ambler. We are united in our purpose in obtaining long-deserved answers for the family of Mr. Ambler. We are sorry for their loss and will do everything in our power to address the circumstances around his death, including the lack of cooperation with the investigation," the statement said.
RELATED: Officer-in-custody death of Javier Ambler to go to grand jury this summer
Javier Ambler died while being detained by Williamson County deputies in March 2019. He was chased into Austin by the deputies for allegedly not dimming his headlights. After crashing his vehicle near the intersection of Saint John’s and Bennett, Williamson County deputies struggled to handcuff Ambler, resulting in the use of a stun gun several times.
VIEWER WARNING: Austin Police Department video of Javier Ambler incident - 3/28/2019
This video may be disturbing to watch. Body cam video from the Austin Police Department of the incident involving Javier Ambler's death where Williamson County Sheriff deputies tased him until he died. (Video courtesy Austin Police Department)
RELATED: Protesters call for Williamson County Sheriff resignation, target Travis County DA
Both DA offices have announced that they are working together on the case and have made it public because "both offices have recently received numerous contacts regarding Mr. Ambler’s death and wish to assure both his family and the community that the investigation will be thorough and justice will be vigorously pursued."
The two offices say they will share resources and information to coordinate in a unified investigation.
"The Travis County D.A.’s Civil Rights Unit, in conjunction with the Austin Police Department, is taking the lead in the officers’ use of force investigation, while the Williamson County D.A.’s Office will take the lead in the investigation involving possible tampering with evidence by personnel from Williamson County agencies who have had contact or communications with the television show, Live PD," says the statement.
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Earlier in June, Travis County District Attorney Moore stated that she was having trouble getting information from the Williamson County Sheriff's Office as well as information from the TV production company. The case is being investigated by Moore’s office because the wreck happened in Travis County.
RELATED: Williamson County Sheriff denies impeding death-in-custody investigation, will not resign
Ambler's case will be going to a grand jury in the summer and Williamson County Sheriff Chody has asked that Texas Rangers take over the investigation into Ambler's death. The DA's office says the information will be limited because the case is heading to a grand jury.
RELATED: Sheriff Chody asking for Texas Rangers to take over investigation into death of Javier Ambler
"Due to the nature of Grand Jury investigations, we will not be able to address specific questions about these ongoing investigations at this time," the statement read.
READ THE FULL JOINT STATEMENT BELOW:
Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore & Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick issued the following joint statement on the Javier Ambler case:
Our Offices are in the process of a joint investigation into the death of Javier Ambler. We are united in our purpose in obtaining long deserved answers for the family of Mr. Ambler.
We are sorry for their loss and will do everything in our power to address the circumstances around his death, including the lack of cooperation with the investigation.
Although we have been working together for some time, we are making this announcement now because both offices have recently received numerous contacts regarding Mr. Ambler's death and wish to assure both his family and the community that the investigation will be thorough and justice will be vigorously pursued.
We want to emphasize that this is not a partisan or political undertaking. This is a search for the truth and is necessary because even now we have not obtained the information we seek from Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody, despite his public statements pledging cooperation.
In order to pursue justice in the matter of the death of Javier Ambler, our offices are sharing resources and information to coordinate a unified investigation. The Travis County D.A.'s Civil Rights Unit, in conjunction with the Austin Police Department, is taking the lead in the officers' use of force investigation, while the Williamson County D.A.'s Office will take the lead in the investigation involving possible tampering with evidence by personnel from Williamson County Agencies who have had contact or communications with the television show, Live PD.
Due to the nature of Grand Jury investigations, we will not be able to address specific questions about these ongoing investigations at this time.
Margaret Moore
Travis County District Attorney
Shawn Dick
Williamson County District Attorney