Dallas officer pleads guilty related to demonstrator injury during 2020 protests

Sr. Cpl. Ryan Mabry is on paid administrative leave with the Dallas Police Department

A Dallas Police officer faces an uncertain future with the department after entering a guilty plea in court this week.

It all stems from the downtown protests in 2020 and injuries demonstrators sustained from police use of “less-lethal ammunition.”

Sr. Cpl. Ryan Mabry pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor assault on Monday.

Dallas County District Attorney John Cruezot brought charges against Mabry and former officer Melvin Williams in February 2022.  A Dallas County grand jury handed up indictments later that year against Mabry on eight felony charges, six of which were aggravated assault by a public servant.

This week, Mabry accepted a plea deal for one count of misdemeanor assault, a conviction that will be cleared if he completes two years of deferred adjudication, in exchange for prosecutors dismissing the remaining criminal charges.  Additionally, Mabry has to surrender his peace officer’s license.

Attorney Daryl Washington represents multiple demonstrators injured during the protests following the Minneapolis murder of George Floyd.

Brandon Saenz lost an eye, seven teeth and suffered a facial fracture from a police-fired projectile demonstration in downtown Dallas in the final weekend of May 2020.

“This was a very egregious case,” Washington said. “What happened to Brandon is something that will impact him for the remainder of his life.”

An arrest affidavit said Mabry fired a projectile that struck Saenz in the face after police responded to another man who threw a water bottle at officers.

Another Dallas PD officer and a Garland officer were also indicted for their role in using so-called “less-lethal ammunition” to disperse protestors and entered guilty pleas to misdemeanor charges earlier this year, according to content partners at The Dallas Morning News.

Dallas police on Wednesday wouldn’t comment on Mabry’s case, citing an ongoing internal investigation. Mabry has been on paid administrative leave since the 2022 indictment.

The end of criminal cases could now allow pending civil cases brought by demonstrators to proceed.