Two former Texas sheriff’s deputies were found not guilty in the 2019 death of a Black man who was repeatedly tasered following a high-speed chase that was filmed as part of the defunct reality TV series “Live PD.”
James “JJ” Johnson and Zachary Camden, who both resigned from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office following the March 2019 death of 40-year-old Javier Ambler, were acquitted on March 7 on charges of assault, manslaughter, and criminal negligent homicide.
A Travis County jury delivered the verdicts at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center in Austin following a nine-day trial, which ended three weeks before the fifth anniversary of Ambler’s death.
In a dramatic moment after the verdicts, Ambler’s father, Javier Ambler Sr., approached the defense table and embraced Johnson and Camden, telling the former deputies, “No hard feelings,” before walking quietly out of the courtroom, according to NBC affiliate KXAN.
The 400-pound Ambler died March 28, 2019, after he was tased four times while pleading with deputies about the condition of his heart, saying he couldn’t breathe as the officers pinned him to the ground.
“I have congestive heart failure,” Ambler could be heard pleading on police body camera footage of the struggle. “I have congestive heart failure. I am not resisting. I can’t breathe.”
Travis County District Attorney José Garza said Ambler’s family deserved “justice and closure” even though his office had failed to win convictions against the former Williamson deputies.
“Our hearts continue to break for the family of Javier Ambler,” Garza wrote in a statement. “We are grateful to our community members who served on the jury for this case, respect their decision, and thank them for their service.”
Any record of the incident involving Johnson and Camden will also be expunged, defense attorney Ken Ervin confirmed, ensuring the officers’ careers won’t be…
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