UPDATE: Officer Sanchez’ trial date is currently unset. We are waiting to hear when his case will be brought to trial.
Around 12:30 am on November 12, 2022, Officer Daniel Sanchez responded to a 9-1-1 call about a man with a gun who was shooting indiscriminately into a home. When Daniel arrived, he immediately encountered the suspect, Rajan Moonesinghe, standing on a porch with an AR-15 style rifle in his hands pointed at the open door of a house.
He shouted to the suspect, who had already fired two shots into the house, to drop his gun. When the suspect refused, Daniel had no other choice but to fire his weapon to stop the imminent danger to himself and to the innocent people in the densely populated neighborhood. Within a minute of being shot by Daniel, police officers performed life-saving measures on the suspect but were unsuccessful in saving him.
Even though Daniel followed his training, notorious Travis County District Attorney José Garza assembled a grand jury to indict him. Now Daniel is facing a third-degree felony charge which could land him in prison for 10 years.
Yes, once again this radical prosecutor is trying to send a police officer to prison for for defending himself and his community.
Officer Daniel Sanchez grew up in a law enforcement family, so he and his family were already well aware of the sacrifice it takes for someone to become a police officer. And there are people in Austin- the District Attorney included- who are not supportive of law enforcement. They demonize and vilify police officers, which puts an even bigger target on their backs. In this day and age, it’s tragically all too common for police officers to be ambushed and killed by violent criminals who hate law enforcement.
Even now, after facing third-degree felony charges for doing his job, Officer Sanchez wants nothing more than to return to the profession he loves and continue to serve and protect his beloved community.
Officer Daniel Sanchez was and continues to be a good and innocent man who acted justly in a horrible situation. Any objective district attorney would have said that Daniel’s actions were self-defense and justified.
In fact, the Austin Police Department (APD) staunchly supports Daniel, and according to APD’s former interim chief Robin Henderson, “APD officers are trained to respond to acts of violence and prevent injuries to innocent persons. As seen in the Critical Incident Briefing materials released by APD on December 1, 2022, Officer Sanchez was confronted with a subject who fired a rifle indiscriminately in a densely populated neighborhood. Officer Sanchez responded to that threat consistent with his training. APD will continue to support Officer Sanchez as this process moves forward.”
But the Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza is conducting a witch hunt against Officer Sanchez. There’s only one way to save Daniel from going to prison where his life will be threatened every day by the criminals he helped put behind bars… and that’s to win his trial. He has a superb
legal team but lawyers are expensive.
That’s where National Center for Police Defense (NCPD) comes in. NCPD helps innocent police officers and military personnel who’ve been unfairly charged for their actions. National Center Police Defense is committed to helping and standing by these truly innocent officers. They don’t receive a dime from the government. One hundred percent of our funding comes from private donations.
This whole case started because the radical District Attorney who wants to make a name for himself by targeting police officers. Officer Sanchez proudly, honorably, and professionally served his community.
He needs his life back. It shouldn’t be destroyed because he didn’t allow himself to be murdered.
Please support Officer Daniel Sanchez, his wife, and his family now! Donate here. All donations are tax-deductible and go towards Daniel and his family through financial assistance and legal defense.
