Five more Austin police officers indicted after 2020 protests, police union says

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for May 31, 2023.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Cases for three Austin police officers were presented to a special grand jury last week — and cases for an additional two officers were presented this week — stemming from May 2020 protests in Austin, according to the Austin Police Association.

"The special grand jury issued true bills for all five officers in the riot cases presented over the past few days," said APA President Thomas Villarreal in an email to members.

Sources tell KXAN the district attorney presented said three of these cases involve deadly conduct charges.

The attorneys for the two officers whose cases were presented this week were informed on Memorial Day their clients would face the special grand jury on Tuesday morning, according to Villarreal.

KXAN reached out to the Travis County District Attorney's Office to ask if that timeline was customary, and is still waiting to hear back. When asked about the cases, in general, earlier this week, the office said it could not comment at this time.

The new cases presented come just before the three-year anniversary of the May 31, 2020 protests.

The three-year anniversary also marks the last day that charges could be pursued against officers for their actions on May 31, because of the statute of limitations outlined in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedures.

With the exception of specific felony offenses outlined in the code, felony indictments must be presented within three years from the date of the commission of the offense.

KXAN will update this story as we get new information about the cases.