“Sheriff Chody should resign, without question. It's time for the voters to choose new leadership for our community,” Bucy said in a June 9 Facebook post.
The demand follows the March 2019 death of Javier Ambler, an unarmed black man who died while in police custody, as reported June 8 by KVUE and the Austin American-Statesman.
Ambler, a 40-year-old Pflugerville resident, was driving through Williamson County on March 28, 2019, when he failed to dim his headlights to oncoming traffic, per reports. Williamson County sheriffs engaged in a 22-minute police chase with Ambler, who crashed his vehicle in North Austin. The sheriffs tased Ambler at least three times, according to reports, even after Ambler informed them that he had a heart condition.
In an earlier post, Bucy called for changes in policies and procedures in the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. He also asked the county and sheriff’s office to fully cooperate with the investigation.
“Williamson County and the Sheriff’s Office should fully cooperate with any and all investigations into this killing and Live PD should immediately hand over all related footage so that Javier’s family and our community get the answers they deserve,” Bucy said in the post.
Williamson County Commissioners Cynthia Long and Terry Cook called for Chody’s resignation at the Williamson County Commissioners Court's June 9 meeting. State Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, also called for Chody’s resignation June 9.
"Another unarmed black man was killed by police in America," Talarico said in a June 9 release. "This time, it was our neighbor. This time, it was followed by 15 months of secrecy. This time, it was filmed by a TV crew for entertainment. His name was Javier Ambler, and he deserves justice."
Ali Linan and Kelsey Thompson contributed to this report.
