Javier Ambler
Javier Ambler, a 40-year-old Black man from Pflugerville, died in March 2019 after Williamson County deputies chased him into Travis County and used Tasers on him four times, with cameras for the reality show Live PD rolling. Bodycam video captured him saying he could not breathe, and his family's attorney says he had a heart condition. The show said the sheriff's office asked it to keep the footage for about three months before it was deleted, and in September 2020 Sheriff Robert Chody and a former county attorney's office lawyer were indicted on charges of tampering with that footage, which Chody denied. Austin Police and the Travis County District Attorney have opened investigations, and as of the latest reporting the deputies had not been disciplined and the case had not gone to trial.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed). Williamson County deputies Tased Ambler four times and restrained him while he said he could not breathe, and his family's attorney says the force caused his death.
Reported by: Ambler family attorney (family or their lawyers); KUT, the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE (reporters).