Prosecutor Drops Charges Against 17 Texas Police Officers Over Tactics Used in 2020 Protests

A Travis County DA said his office would dismiss indictments against 17 officers but still plans to move forward with charges against four others.

People help a protester after he was shot with a rubber bullet under Interstate 35 freeway in Austin, Texas, on May 30, 2020. Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP

A Texas prosecutor is dropping most of the cases against more than 20 Austin police officers who were indicted for tactics used during the May 2020 protests that followed George Floyd’s killing.

Monday’s announcement came as a sharp reversal for Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza, who was elected months after the protests. The Democrat prosecutor ran on the promise to hold Austin police accountable in the state’s Capital.