A former Dallas police officer pleaded guilty Thursday to firing “less-lethal” ammunition during protests in 2020, wounding a protester, court records show.
Melvin Williams, 43, was sentenced to three years’ probation, according to court records. The former SWAT officer was accused of multiple counts of using violence during demonstrations in downtown Dallas after a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd.
Deadly conduct, the discharge of a firearm, is a third-degree felony. Williams faced ten years in prison and a fine.
He also pleaded no contest to assault on Thursday and was sentenced to 24 months of probation in connection with a fight in Deep Ellum in 2021. The two sentences will be served concurrently. He can also have the convictions expunged if he successfully completes probation.
According to court records, prosecutors dropped nine other charges against Williams as part of the settlement, including assault, abuse of authority, deadly conduct and aggravated assault by an officer. Aggravated assault by an officer is a first-degree felony punishable by five years to life in prison.
Under the agreement, Williams must also surrender his licenses to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, the state agency that certifies police officers.
His lawyer Robert Rogers initially made no comment.
Daryl Washington, a civil rights attorney representing two men Williams allegedly injured, said he “would have liked more time in such an egregious case,” adding that his clients are reminded of the violence every day because of their lasting injuries.
As of Friday morning, he had not spoken to the men, but said they were likely happy that someone was held accountable and Williams cannot be a police officer in Texas again. He said he was disappointed about the dropped charges, but praised prosecutors for investigating the cases despite public opposition.
“I want to commend them for taking on these cases,” he said, “because I know they were not easy.”
Spokesmen for the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment early Friday morning. Spokesmen for the Dallas Police Department declined to comment.
Williams is a central figure in the controversy over the authorities’ response to the Dallas police’s use of force during the 2020 protests. He was charged in the high-profile case of Vincent Doyle, an aspiring photojournalist who was shot in the face with a 40mm gun, causing 40% vision loss in his left eye and a broken cheekbone.
A grand jury declined to indict Williams in late 2021 on charges of using excessive force against Doyle. A month after the grand jury’s decision, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot’s office filed assault charges against him in connection with the same case.
Williams was charged in May 2022 with ten counts: four counts of aggravated assault by a public officer, two counts of deadly assault and four counts of abuse of office.
He was one of three officers charged in a case involving David McKee. McKee was holding up a cardboard sign and backing away from officers — he was following police orders — when several officers opened fire, an arrest warrant affidavit said. McKee told investigators he was hit in the bicep, groin and thigh, the affidavit said.
Williams was also charged in a case involving an unidentified protester who was struck in the buttocks by non-lethal ammunition, according to the affidavit.
The prosecution dropped the charges against Doyle and the unknown protester.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie García fired Williams in January 2022 after he was caught on video punching a man during a brawl in Deep Ellum a year after the social justice protests. That man, Jesus Lule, later sued Williams, claiming he used excessive and unreasonable force. (That case is still pending, according to court records.)
Washington said McKee is unable to have children today because of his injuries. He said too many police officers “have been empowered to think they can do these things and get away with it,” adding that Williams “probably would have gotten away with a lot” if the incident in Deep Ellum had not happened.
“What he did to his clients is something they will remember every day,” Washington said. “It will be something they will struggle with for the rest of their lives.”
Williams still faces a civil lawsuit from Doyle and other protesters who reported injuries during the 2020 downtown protests, Washington said, but the case has been stayed pending the criminal trial.
“We just hope that the city of Dallas takes responsibility for the injuries of these protesters,” Washington said. “People have the right to go out and protest, and they shouldn’t have to be afraid as they continue to protest. And I think that’s what this was about – to scare the protesters.”
Williams is the second Dallas police officer to plead guilty to criminal charges related to the 2020 protests. Earlier this year, SWAT officer Broderick Valentine pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to probation for shooting Zachary Montez Harvey in the groin with a foam baton. He was also forced to surrender his TCOLE license.
Two other officers are awaiting resolution of cases related to the 2020 protests: Dallas Police Sr. Cpl. Ryan Mabry, who has been charged with eight felonies and three misdemeanors, and Garland Police Officer Joe Privitt, who has been charged with aggravated assault by an officer.
Both are still officers with their departments, but according to internal Dallas police records, Mabry has been on leave for more than two years.
