A grand jury has indicted two Dallas SWAT officers and a local police officer for allegedly assaulting protesters during the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in the summer of 2020.
Senior Corporal Ryan Mabry of the Dallas Police Department, who is on administrative leave, is accused of shooting at least three protesters with “less-lethal munitions,” including Brandon Saenz.
Saenz suffered a facial fracture and lost an eye and seven teeth.
Mabry was indicted on six counts of aggravated assault by a public servant, two counts of deadly conduct, and three counts of official oppression.
Former Dallas Police Department Senior Corporal Melvin Williams is accused of using “less-lethal munitions” on many protesters. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Williams was fired in January for an unrelated incident in July 2021.
Vincent Doyle, a victim of the incident in which Williams was allegedly involved, lost 60% of the vision in his left eye. Williams was indicted on four counts of aggravated assault by a public servant, two counts of deadly conduct, and three counts of official oppression.
Garland Police Officer Joe Privitt was also indicted on one count of aggravated assault by a public official. However, the circumstances surrounding his indictment were not immediately apparent.
“The negative light that has been shone on our department today is difficult for the brave men and women who protect our city day in and day out,” said Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia on Friday. “The message to the community today should be: in light of these protests, riots, and looting, that there were hundreds of officers that were professional and did their duty to defend this city.”
According to Toby Shook, Mabry’s lawyer, the whole story has not been revealed, and onlookers should consider everything that happened downtown to see why the officers had to use force.
Shook remains optimistic regarding Mabry’s innocence, citing “strong evidence” and “statutes that allow officers to use force [when] dispersing a riot.” He went on to say that while several demonstrators were peaceful, “agitators” were confronted with projectiles after blocking streets and attempting to “whip up the crowd.”
