This story has been updated to add new information.

Austin police officer Christopher Taylor on Saturday was found guilty of deadly conduct in the fatal 2019 shooting of a man holding a knife, a verdict that is believed to be the first time an officer has been convicted of a crime for an on-duty shooting in Travis County.

When the jury's unanimous decision was read Saturday afternoon on the fourth day of deliberations, Taylor, a 10-year veteran of the Austin Police Department, made no clear show of emotion. Doug O'Connell, one of the two attorneys flanking Taylor, rested his hand on the officer's back.

The officer was on trial for his part in the shooting of 46-year-old Mauris DeSilva, a Sri Lankan researcher and scientist with a history of mental health issues. DeSilva had been threatening himself with a knife outside of the Spring Condominiums in downtown Austin on July 31, 2019, when police were called.

When officers arrived, they learned that DeSilva had moved to a communal floor at the complex and was still holding the knife to his neck. Police took an elevator to confront him, with officers Taylor and Karl Krycia drawing their firearms. The doors opened, and as officers instantly yelled commands, DeSilva moved toward them with the knife, prompting police to shoot.

Krycia is facing murder and deadly conduct charges for the shooting.

The case received intense scrutiny as it was the second time in a year that Taylor had faced a jury for an on-duty shooting. Jurors in fall 2023 were deadlocked in Taylor's murder trial for the death of Michael Ramos, which had helped fuel Austin's 2020 social justice protests.

Saturday's verdict is the first successful attempt by the civil rights unit of the Travis County district attorney's office to secure a conviction for a police officer's use of force.

Holding police accountable was a key issue that helped District Attorney José Garza defeat incumbent Margaret Moore in the 2020 Democratic primary runoff in the wake of nationwide protests against police use of force. In heavily Democratic Travis County, Garza went on to win the DA's office that November.

In his first term, Garza's office has attained an unprecedented number of indictments against police officers and has brought four others to trial. His office has not secured a conviction in any of the other cases.

For DeSilva's death, a grand jury also had indicted Taylor on a murder charge, but prosecutors did not pursue that charge in the trial. Experts have said that prosecutors might have done so as a legal strategy, giving jurors the option of convicting the officer on a lesser charge instead of the most serious under Texas law.

Deadly conduct is a third-degree felony in Texas that carries a prison sentence of two to 10 years. People convicted of a crime in Texas have the right to allow a judge or jury to decide their sentence. Taylor's attorneys asked before the trial began for District Judge Dayna Blazey to decide his fate and recommended that he be sentenced to probation.

A sentencing date was not immediately set Saturday, but attorneys are scheduled to meet Oct. 15 to agree on a date.

Generally, the license of a peace officer convicted of a felony is revoked.

'The justice that they deserve'

As Taylor's verdict was read, multiple members of Taylor's family and the president of the Austin police union were sitting in several rows behind him. DeSilva's father, who attended the trial, was not present Saturday, nor were other members of his family.

In a statement, Brad Vinson, who is representing the DeSilva family in a lawsuit against Taylor and the city, said there was "more than enough evidence" brought out in the trial to show that officers "failed" to properly attend to DeSilva when they knew he was having a mental health episode.

"Dr. Mauris Desilva was a brilliant man experiencing a profound mental health episode. He was a danger only to himself. He should have been confronted, he should have been cared for, he should not have been killed," the statement said. "My client and his family are and always will be devastated by the loss of their son. Nothing can bring back their son but this verdict is the first step in getting them the justice that they deserve."

Taylor's attorneys, O'Connell and Ken Ervin, said they did not immediately have a comment but would issue a statement later.

Garza said in a statement that his office is grateful to staff members who worked to hold Taylor "accountable and seek justice for the victim and their family."

“We hope this outcome continues to help the DeSilva family with their healing process,” Garza said. “We further hope this verdict allows the community to heal and that we can move forward together.”

The Austin Police Department in a statement said it was aware of Taylor's guilty verdict and affirmed that it "respects the criminal justice process and understands this is a difficult time for all who have been impacted.”

Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock said in a statement that it was a “sad day” for the county and law enforcement, adding that the verdict puts the “entire City at risk.”

“Countless cases of deadly conduct have been dropped, pled out, or rejected by the Travis County District Attorney,” Bullock said. “Yet an extraordinary amount of resources and time has gone into prosecuting an officer who not only followed APD training but also national training standards. An officer who had to make a decision none of us ever want to have to make.”

The trial began Sept. 25, with jury deliberations starting Wednesday.

Throughout deliberations, multiple hearings were held over issues with the jury. One of them was related to a juror expressing safety concerns, and another impromptu hearing dealt with the bailiff witnessing some jurors using their phones and another juror using a laptop during Friday's deliberations. Defense attorneys asked for a mistrial, but the judge denied the motion.

In a hearing Saturday, the district attorney's office asked for sanctions against the defense attorneys for statements made about the trial on social media. Prosecutors also asked Blazey to hold the defense team in contempt of court. Blazey denied all of the state's motions.

During that hearing, O'Connell asked for all jurors to be questioned on the witness stand about whether they had been exposed to any type of media coverage about the trial. Blazey also denied that motion.