Two ex-sheriff’s deputies in Texas have been indicted on second-degree manslaughter charges in the death of a Black driver whom they repeatedly shot with a Taser during a 2019 traffic stop despite his pleas that he had heart disease and could not breathe, a prosecutor said on Tuesday.
The former Williamson County deputies, James Johnson and Zachary Camden, had been accompanied by a television crew from the reality television show “Live PD” at the time of their fatal encounter with Javier Ambler, 40, whom they were pursuing for failing to dim his lights to oncoming traffic.
The charges against Mr. Johnson and Mr. Camden were announced by José Garza, the district attorney in neighboring Travis County, which includes Austin, Texas, where Mr. Ambler crashed his vehicle after the police pursued him over a traffic violation.
“With these indictments, we have taken another critical step towards justice for the Ambler family and for our community,” Mr. Garza said in a statement. “While we can never take away the pain of the Ambler family, the grand jury has sent a clear message that no one is above the law.”
Ken Ervin and Doug O’Connell, the lawyers for Mr. Johnson and Mr. Camden, said in a joint statement on Tuesday that Mr. Ambler had led the former deputies on a chase for 22 minutes after a series of collisions and had resisted arrest.
“Mr. Ambler’s physical exertion in resisting the three officers it took to get him into handcuffs no doubt contributed to his medical emergency, but Mr. Johnson and Mr. Camden are neither morally nor legally responsible for his death,” the statement said.
The lawyers for the former deputies accused Mr. Garza of trying to score political points with the indictments, which came a few weeks after Mr. Garza announced that a grand jury had returned an indictment against an Austin police officer in the shooting death of a man last year that touched off protests against police violence in the state capital. The lawyers also represent the officer in that case.
Bail was set at $150,000 for Mr. Johnson and Mr. Camden; both have been released. Their lawyers said the former deputies intended to plead not guilty and turned themselves in on Tuesday after their indictments were signed on Monday.
Mr. Ambler’s father, Javier Ambler Sr., thanked Mr. Garza in a statement for pursuing charges against the former deputies.
“Our goal has always been to hold these officers accountable so that there are no more families who have to suffer like ours has,” the statement said.
On March 28, 2019, Williamson County deputies tried to stop Javier Ambler because the vehicle he was driving did not dim its lights to traffic, officials said. After deputies tried to pull Mr. Ambler over, the authorities said, he kept driving for more than 20 minutes and crashed his vehicle in downtown Austin.
There, deputies used a Taser on Mr. Ambler several times.
“I have congestive heart failure,” Mr. Ambler could be heard saying on the body camera video. “I can’t breathe.” As he and the deputies struggled, Mr. Ambler said, “Save me.” One deputy yelled, “Do what we’re asking you to do.”
Mr. Ambler was transported to Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin and pronounced dead just after 2:30 a.m.
Table Of Contents
Understand the George Floyd Case
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How George Floyd Died
- On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officers arrested George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, after a convenience store clerk claimed he used a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes.
- Mr. Floyd died after Derek Chauvin, one of the police officers, handcuffed him and pinned him to the ground with a knee, an episode that was captured on video.
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What Happened to Derek Chauvin
- Mr. Chauvin was fired from the Minneapolis police force, along with three other officers. He has been charged with both second- and third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. He now faces trial. Opening statements are scheduled for March 29.
- Here is what we know up to this point in the case, and how the trial is expected to unfold.
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How Floyd’s Death Ignited a Movement
The indictments of the former deputies brought the number of people charged in connection with Mr. Ambler’s death to four. Last year, the county’s sheriff at the time of Mr. Ambler’s death, Robert Chody, was arrested on an evidence tampering charge related to destruction of recordings of the encounter. He has pleaded not guilty, along with Jason Nassour, a Williamson County assistant attorney, who was also charged with evidence tampering.
“Live PD,” which premiered on A&E in 2016, previously broadcast police officers around the country as they made traffic stops, responded to calls and went on high-speed chases. The show was almost live; a delay helped avoid airing footage that was particularly disturbing.
A disclaimer at the beginning of each broadcast told viewers that “all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.” The show did not cover what happened to people who had been arrested. Sometimes, people being filmed shielded their faces or objected to the presence of cameras.
Television shows about policing attracted scrutiny last summer amid nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd in May, and in June, A&E announced that it had ceased production of “Live PD.”
Representatives of A&E did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Azi Paybarah contributed reporting.