Travis County DA Won't Pursue Case Of Suspect Shot By Police

AUSTIN, TX — The Travis County district attorney said she won't hear the case of Morgan Crocker, who was fatally shot by Austin police last year.

DA Margaret Moor released a statement last year justifying her decision not to have a grand jury hear the case of the fatal officer-involved shooting. She said her own review was contingent on the decision not to prosecute the case against the two officers involved.

"The Travis County District Attorney's Office has concluded its review of the Austin Police Department's investigation of the facts and circumstances of a 2016 officer-involved shooting involving Morgan Wayne Crocker, 34, and determined that the credible investigation facts establish that each officer's use of force was justified under applicable Texas law governing when an officer may use deadly force."

The shooting dates to Sept. 14, 2016, when APD officers Brett Fritz and Bernardo Ramirez responded to a 911 call about a suspicious person at the Sedona Springs Apartments, 4201 Monterey Oaks Blvd., in Southwest Austin. Witnesses reported Crocker was acting oddly and may have been trying to break into vehicles. Officers originally were unable to find the suspect, but later received another emergency call alerting them to his return to the site. Fritz was the first to respond to the scene.

The officer spotted a man matching the suspect's description before the man tried to hide behind a vehicle, according to the DA's recap of the events. The suspect then gave chase, throwing items on the ground as he was being pursued. The officer then used a Tazer against the suspect, a tactic successful after its second deployment. A subsequent order to show his hands was ignored, Moore wrote. The suspect is then said to have rolled over while aiming what officers believed to be a handgun at them before firing at them. Fritz and Ramirez returned fire, squeezing off 18 shots between them. Officers continued to order the Crocker to show his hands with no success. Finally able to approach him, the policemen found a handgun underneath him, Moore wrote in her summary. Crocker died later of his injuries after being admitted to St. David’s South Austin Medical Center.

The case is just the latest officer-involved shooting that Moore has opted not to pursue. In April, Moore announced she would no longer present all cases to a grand jury automatically as had been done by her predecessor unless she deems cop shootings to have been unlawful or if the facts behind each case are disputed.

Related story: Officer-Involved Shootings Case Won't Automatically Go To Grand Juries Anymore: Travis County DA

>>> Morgan Crocker booking photo via Austin Police Department