Trial in Javier Ambler's death: APD officer describes struggle with Ambler
Testimony is continuing for the second week in the trial against former Williamson County sheriff's deputies J.J. Johnson and Zach Camden, who are accused of manslaughter in the 2019 death of Javier Ambler II.
Ambler, a 40-year-old father of two, died on March 28, 2019. After a 20-minute vehicle chase that began when Ambler failed to dim his headlights to oncoming traffic, Johnson and Camden used Tasers on Ambler multiple times while they attempted to forcibly restrain him. On body-worn camera footage, Ambler can be heard shouting that he had a heart condition and could not breathe. He died moments later.
The encounter was captured by crews from the A&E reality show "Live PD," who were in both Camden's and Johnson's patrol vehicles. The case led Texas to ban partnerships between law enforcement and reality television shows.
Johnson and Camden face up to 20 years in prison.
Last week, jurors watched dashboard and body-worn camera footage of deputies' pursuit of Ambler and the ensuing struggle. They also heard from "Live PD" crew members who recorded the encounter.
Check back for continued updates on the trial this week.
APD officer describes struggling with Ambler
On Monday afternoon, Austin police officer Michael Nissen described his involvement in the high-speed chase and struggle that ended in Ambler’s death.
While he was on duty in North Austin, Nissen witnessed the car chase and arrived on the scene after James and Camden had already confronted Ambler. On the stand, Nissen described attempting to hold down Ambler’s arms.
A Travis County grand jury declined to indict Nissen for his role in the confrontation with Ambler. The Ambler family have an ongoing civil case against Nissen and the City of Austin.
Defense attorney Doug O’Connell asked Nissen why he did not stop attempting to restrain Ambler when he complained about being unable to breathe.
Nissen said that there was “nothing to suggest that Mr. Ambler was going to comply.”
Medical examiner says "forcible restraint" contributed to Ambler's death
On Monday morning, Travis County medical examiner Keith Pinckard gave jurors an overview of Ambler's autopsy report and discussed how officers' attempt to handcuff Ambler could have contributed to his death.
Pinckard testified that his office had attributed Ambler's death to congestive heart failure and hypertensive cardiovascular disease, “in combination with forcible restraint." While officers attempted to handcuff Ambler, they deployed their Tasers and pinned him to ground on his stomach.
"Those events were simply too much for his heart to take," Pinckard testified.
Medical examiners labeled Ambler's death as a homicide, which describes deaths in which the "actions of other people play a role," Pinckard said. The medical examiner's office does not make findings of wrongdoing.
During cross-examination, defense attorney Ken Ervin suggested that, given Ambler's health conditions, it was difficult to know what, precisely, caused his death.
Ervin asked Pinckard, "Can you testify to a reasonable degree of medical certainty that Mr. Ambler would have lived had Mr. Camden and Mr. Johnson stopped their efforts to restrain Mr. Ambler after Mr. Ambler first said ‘I can’t breathe?'"
"No," Pinckard said.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Trial in Javier Ambler death: APD officer describes confrontation
