A Travis County grand jury no-billed an Austin police officer who shot and killed a man outside an East Austin nightclub on June 3.
Sgt. Michael Olsen won't be held criminally responsible for the death of 25-year-old Kevin Brown.
The grand jury had to decide whether his use of force was a reasonable act of self-defense. They heard 10 days of evidence and testimony from 12 witnesses, including seven civilians, four expert or law enforcement witnesses and Olsen.
Brown was shot twice in the back during a chase with police. The incident happened at the Elm Ridge Apartments on East 12th Street, not far from Chester's, the club where the chase actually began.
Olsen had been investigating whether the 25-year-old had a gun.
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Officer cleared
News 8's Catie Beck reports from Austin City Hall.
 
Police response
Watch the press conference with APD Chief Art Acevedo.
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Olsen, a 12-year veteran, was placed on restricted duty pending the outcome of the investigation and the presentation of the case to the grand jury. That's standard procedure when an officer uses deadly force.
This wasn't the first time Olsen was involved in a police investigation. He was suspended in 2003 for excessive use of force against a man. He also faced charges of falsifying documents that were later dropped.
The shooting happened two days after the Justice Department announced it would investigate the use-of-force policies of the Austin Police Department. The inquiry stems from a 2004 complaint by the NAACP, which alleged numerous police civil rights abuses. Between 1998 and 2003, Austin police used deadly force against 11 people.
The Brown family said they're disappointed about the outcome and still plan to fire a civil suit. The Internal Affairs review and the DOJ review are still under way. Nelson Linder, president of Austin's NAACP, also said the fight isn't over.
"There was some disappointment but no surprise. Ramirez's office has never given black folks any kind of justice. They have time and time again not indicted white cops who shoot black people. The good thing is, we have options. The Police Monitor's Office is going to review this incident. They could recommend termination, as can the police chief. We said from day one we're going to work through the system, and we're going to use it to keep Olsen off the streets," he said.
