A Texas grand jury charged a police officer with a felony over his 2022 fatal shooting of a tech entrepreneur, officials said Wednesday, in a case that has divided Austin’s law enforcement community.
Austin Police Officer Daniel Sanchez has been charged with one count of deadly conduct, a third-degree felony, in connection with the Nov. 15, 2022, shooting death of Rajan “Raj” Moonesinghe, Travis County District Attorney José Garza announced.
“The District Attorney’s office takes the work of presenting all facts and evidence to a grand jury very seriously,” Garza said in a statement. “In this case, an independent group of members of the Travis County community heard the evidence and law and decided that Officer Sanchez’s conduct was unlawful.”
On the night of the shooting, Austin police were responding to a 911 call saying a man in a gray robe was pointing a rifle down the street and firing it into his own home.
As officers arrived, Moonesinghe, 33, was shot almost simultaneously with police orders for him to drop the gun, his family has claimed.
Loved ones said he had just returned from a trip and feared his home had been burglarized.
“We want to make sure that other families don’t have to suffer the pain that ours has,” his mother, Ruth Moonesinghe, told reporters Wednesday.
The Austin Police Department is defending Sanchez and said his actions were “consistent with his training” against a deadly threat.
“Officer Sanchez was confronted with a subject who fired a rifle indiscriminately in a densely populated neighborhood,” the police department said in a statement. “Officer Sanchez responded to that threat consistent with his training. APD will continue to support Officer Sanchez as this process moves forward.”
Garza pushed back against police and called the department’s response “alarming.”
“The statement reflects an alarming disregard for the rule of law, for our criminal justice system and for Rajan and his family,” Garza told reporters. “No one is above the law in Travis County.”
And with Garza standing inches behind her, Moonesinghe’s mother appeared to take issue with the DA and argue that the charge against Sanchez isn’t enough.
“We call on the DA to present the clear video evidence to a new grand jury so that charges can be brought against Officer Sanchez that are consistent with the law and the facts,” Ruth Moonesinghe said.