Travis County District Attorney José Garza plans to drop murder and deadly conduct cases against an Austin police officer who fatally shot a man during a mental health crisis in a downtown condominium, the American-Statesman has learned.
Garza is in final negotiations before entering a unique agreement with Officer Karl Krycia that will require him to serve as a police academy instructor, teaching officers about how they should respond in rapidly evolving and dynamic situations such as the one he encountered with Mauris DeSilva in 2019.
The arrangement represents a strikingly different approach to how Garza handled the case against Officer Christopher Taylor, who also opened fire on DeSilva in the same moments…