A new video released by the Austin Police Department on Monday shows officers fatally shooting a 42-year-old man who told police he was unarmed and was holding his hands above his head before they opened fire.
The clip shows the confrontation leading up to the April 24 killing of Michael Ramos, whose death has fueled protests in Austin as people around the world march against racism and police brutality.
Austin police officers were responding to a 911 call about a man and a woman using drugs in a vehicle outside an apartment complex in South Central Austin when they made contact with Ramos. The caller reported that the man was holding a gun, but police did not locate any firearms in the vehicle after the shooting.
In the video, the officers are seen driving up to Ramos’s parked vehicle and immediately yelling at him to show his hands with their firearms drawn. The driver door slowly opens and Ramos appears to raise his hands next to his head as he leans his body out of the vehicle.
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“Michael Ramos, you’re going to listen to everything we say,” an officer yells. “Keep your hands up.”
Ramos initially complies with the officers’ commands and exits the vehicle with his hands up, raising his shirt and turning around in a circle, the video shows.
He then tells them, “don’t shoot,” as he waves his hands at the officers.
One of the officers continues to say Ramos’s name, telling him to relax and listen and turn around as Ramos asks, “What’s going on, bro?”
“Man, what the fuck did I fucking do, man!” Ramos screams, standing behind his car door. “The fuck you tripping on, dog.”
“Impact him,” another officer is heard yelling.
“I don’t got no fucking gun, dog,” Ramos says. “What the fuck.”
Officers tell Ramos they’re going to “impact” him and to “walk towards us,” according to the video.
Ramos says, “No,” and yells for them to put their guns down. Seconds later, an officer is heard yelling, “impact him,” and a round is fired, striking Ramos as he gets back into the car and shuts the door.
As officers yell at him, “Do not leave!” Ramos drives the car out of the parking spot, and then an officer fires three gunshots at the vehicle, the video shows.
The officers are then seen running up to the car, which had crashed into another parked vehicle, with their weapons still drawn.
Ramos was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Officer Christopher Taylor, who fired his rifle at Ramos as he drove away, and Officer Mitchell Pieper, who shot the beanbag round at Ramos, have both been placed on administrative duty. The department’s internal affairs unit is continuing to investigate the incident.
The criminal investigation is being handled by the Texas Rangers and the Travis County District Attorney’s Office.
This was the second time in less than a year that Taylor used lethal force while on the job. According to the Austin American Statesman, Taylor was one of the officers who fatally shot 46-year-old Mauris DeSilva at his condo in downtown Austin in July 2019.
The newspaper reported that he was placed on administrative leave but later allowed to return to duty.
Watch the video below:
Why didn't @Austin_Police caption #MichaelRamos saying, “Just put the fucking gun down?" Instead, they wrote, “yells.” Austin like many other cities desperately needs new police union leadership that isn't going to fight the city on every effort to hold police accountable. pic.twitter.com/JPnoSI5zAS
— Brandon Farmahini (@MrFarmahini) July 27, 2020
