Deputies indicted on manslaughter charges in Javier Ambler death by Travis County grand jury
Two years and one day after Javier Ambler II died in custody, a grand jury in Austin has indicted deputies who chased the Black father for a minor traffic violation that ended in a deadly encounter.
Former deputies J.J. Johnson and Zach Camden are charged with manslaughter after they chased Ambler, 40, in a 2019 pursuit that started because he failed to dim his headlights, then used Tasers on him repeatedly while he gasped that he could not breathe and had congestive heart failure. Ambler died minutes later.
"What we know is that Javier Ambler, who was a father, a brother, a son and a member of our community, a person of color," Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said. "He died after deputies repeatedly Tased him...after he let them know that he could not breathe and that he was dying."
The indictments mark the latest and most significant turn in the investigation into Ambler's death, which gained national attention and raised questions about the influence of reality TV on American policing. Ambler's family and attorneys believe that a partnership between "Live PD" and the Williamson County Sheriff's Office encouraged deputies to forsake sound policing practices to play to the cameras.
Read more: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/03/30/javier-ambler-austin-grand-jury-indicts-xxxx-javier-ambler-police-custody-death/6967552002/