A Texas grand jury has indicted 19 Austin police officers on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for their actions during 2020 protests over racial injustice that spread nationwide after the killing of George Floyd, according to people familiar with the matter.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo speaks out against bathroom bills at a press conference on the steps of the state capitol on July 25, 2017. Credit: Austin Price/The Texas TribuneHouston Police Chief Art Acevedo is leaving his helm to lead the Miami Police Department after holding the position for five years, he announced in a press conference. AdAcevedo will be the third major police chief in Texas to depart after a year marked by protests against police violence. Last month, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said he is retiring after 30 years with the department. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told the Miami Herald “this is like getting the Tom Brady or the Michael Jordan of police chiefs.”Acevedo will lead a force of nearly 1,400 officers in Miami compared to Houston’s force of over 5,200 officers. He will replace former Miami police chief Jorge Colina, who retired in February.

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.

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.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley will retire at the end of March. Credit: REUTERS/Sergio FloresAustin Police Chief Brian Manley is retiring, the city manager told city leadership in a memo Friday. He will be leaving his post at the end of March after 30 years with the department and a growing call for his firing from City Council and community members. While Floyd’s death prompted nationwide protests last summer, Austin demonstrators also held signs for Ramos. During the first weekend of protests, Austin officers injured dozens of demonstrators, including seriously wounding several people protesting nonviolently.

AUSTIN, Texas In a unanimous vote, the Austin City Council moved Thursday to cut about one-third of next year's $434 million police budget amid national calls for defunding law enforcement agencies in favor of spending more money on social services. But today, we should celebrate what the movement has achieved for safety, racial justice, and democracy." Since June, Austin City Council members have heard hours of testimony from Austin residents on police use of force on protesters in Austin, including pepper spray and less lethal munitions. Austin council members voted to ban the use of choke-holds and and limit the Austin police budget. In Minneapolis, where George Floyd died, a majority of Minneapolis City Council members said in June that they supported disbanding the police department.

(AP) – Police have identified an armed protester who was shot and killed by a person who had driven into a crowd at a demonstration against police violence in the Texas capital. Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said Garrett Foster, 28, was shot and killed Saturday night as demonstrators marched through downtown Austin. Manley said the driver and several witnesses told police Foster approached the driver side window of the vehicle and pointed an assault rifle at the driver. The driver said they shot Foster and drove off, police said. She said she was told the driver shot her son three times.

Austin Price / The Texas TribuneThe Austin Police Department will no longer cite and arrest people solely for possessing a misdemeanor amount of marijuana, according to a Thursday police memo. The distinction caused numerous prosecutors to drop hundreds of marijuana cases and stopped accepting new ones, arguing they could not tell the difference between the two without unavailable lab testing. The number of new marijuana cases filed by prosecutors in the state dropped by more than half in six months. In January, the Austin City Council approved a resolution to stop arresting or ticketing people for most low-level marijuana possession offenses. At the time, Manley said though cracking down on those possessing a small amount of marijuana was never a priority, police would continue to cite or arrest people if officers come across it.But on Thursday, that policy was changed.

Police chief Brian Manley speaks during a news conference in Austin in 2018. REUTERS/Sergio FloresAustin Police Chief Brian Manley will stay in his position, a city spokesperson confirmed in an email Thursday. I have had very pointed conversations with Chief Manley over the last several weeks, City Manager Spencer Cronk also said in the email. He has assured me he is sincerely committed to making the reforms necessary.Local activists have called for Manley to be fired, but the police chief cannot be fired, per state law. "I believe the honorable thing would be for you to resign, Council Member Greg Casar told Manley earlier this month.

In Dallas, the curfew was lifted after consultation with police Chief U. Renee Hall and the City Council, said City Manager T.C. In San Antonio, Mayor Ron Nirenberg rescinded the curfew in the downtown business district, which had been put in place on Wednesday. The San Antonio Police Department remains committed to protecting the First Amendment rights of all who peacefully protest while also ensuring the safety of people and protection of property. On Saturday afternoon, about 300 people gathered peacefully in front of San Antonio police headquarters and were set to march later in the day. At least two Austin City Council members have called for Manleys resignation.

AUSTIN, Texas – AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Austin’s police chief said Thursday his department will no longer fire beanbag rounds into crowds after a teenage boy was critically hurt during a weekend protest when he was shot in the head when an officer fired the ammunition that is considered a less-lethal use of force. “We thought he was going to die,” Edwin Ayala said in tears. But Austin City Councilman Gregorio Casar, who was among council members who expressed disappointment in how Austin police responded to protesters, pushed back. He said he had seen a video of Levi Ayala being shot by the beanbag round and that the teen was not in a crowd, but standing alone. A GoFundMe page for the family set up by Edwin Ayala has raised over $140,000 as of Thursday.

Others recounted firsthand how officers tear-gassed, pepper sprayed and shot at them with rubber bullets and bean bag rounds, even as they were protesting peacefully. As the meeting continued Thursday evening, people gathered at police headquarters for another demonstration, this one focused on Austin police officers inflicting injuries on previous protesters. While rubber bullets and bean bag rounds have been touted as less lethal by law enforcement, Austin officers injured protesters with them during the demonstrations against police brutality. Police also shot 16-year-old Brad Levi Ayala in the forehead with a bean bag round. The sole black council member, Natasha Harper-Madison, was the last to give remarks before the public comment period began.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley speaks during a news conference near the scene where a woman was injured in a package bomb explosion, in Austin on March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Sergio FloresMultiple Austin City Council members said they lost faith in Police Chief Brian Manley on Friday and some asked him to resign following his handling of the ongoing protests against police brutality spurred by the death of George Floyd. Countless protesters had called in to the virtual city council meeting on Thursday, which Manley and City Manager Spencer Cronk also attended, to demand the police chief resign or be fired. Despite protesters' demands, the City Council doesn't have the authority to outright fire Manley, and neither does the city manager. Cronk can only demote Manley to his rank before he became department head.

An Austin police officer points a weapon at protestors as officers cleared Cesar Chavez Street in Austin. Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas TribuneAustin police critically injured a 20-year-old black protester Sunday, according to Police Chief Brian Manley, during a weekend filled with Texas demonstrations and violence. In Austin, protesters also demonstrated for Michael Ramos, an unarmed black man who was shot to death by an Austin police officer in late April. One of the officers fired less-lethal munition at that individual apparently but it struck this victim instead. Rubber bullets were also seen on the ground during Austin protests this weekend.

HOUSTON – An Austin woman whose body was found at a home near Jersey Village on Thursday died from strangulation, according to the website of the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office. Officials at the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed the identity of the body as Broussard and that she died from ligature strangulation. Magen Fieramusca is seen in this mug shot provided to KPRC 2 by the Harris County Sheriff's Office on Dec. 20, 2019. Broussard’s disappearanceDetective Brad Herries, of the Austin Police Department, said Broussard and Margot disappeared after she dropped off her son at school. Authorities distributed information about Broussard and Margot to national missing persons databases and issued a be-on-the-lookout call about the disappearance, Herries said.