District Attorney Margaret Moore declined to formally try two Austin Police officers – Brett Fritz and Bernardo Ramirez – for their role in the Sept. 14, 2016, shooting death of Morgan Crocker. Crocker, 34 at the time of his death, was allegedly burglarizing vehicles in the parking lot of the Sedona Springs apartment complex in Southwest Austin when Fritz responded to a disturbance call, got into a footrace, and eventually deployed his Taser, which caused Crocker to fall to the ground. By then, backup had shown up, and Crocker, still on the ground, pulled a handgun out of his clothing and started firing. None of the officers were struck, but Fritz and Ramirez returned fire, hitting Crocker, who was able to retreat a short distance before falling between two cars. He later died from his injuries. A 33-page letter sent from Moore to Police Chief Brian Manley outlines her justification for declining prosecution. This is the fourth such 2016 case that Moore has declined to present to a grand jury since she instituted her discretionary policy in April.
This article appears in November 10 • 2017.