The mother of a 25-year-old man murdered in a 2021 mass shooting in Texas wrote a scathing letter to Austin City Council for defunding police, which she said led directly to her son’s death.
“It was you, the city council and others who defunded the police and welcomed these evil people with no regard for life to run and ruin your city,” wrote Julia Kantor on the eve of the trial for her son’s alleged killer, according to documents obtained by Fox News.
“It’s time you see what you have done to not only the victims like my son but also to our family and friends and your city. Your irresponsible choices for political gain has put a target on the backs of Austin’s citizens and all who visit.”
Her son, Douglas Kantor, was visiting Austin from his home in New York on June 12, 2021, to celebrate the completion of his master’s degree, when members of rival teenage gangs opened fire on each other on a packed street in the city’s entertainment district.
Douglas was struck and killed in the firefight, while 13 others were injured.
He had been planning to marry his high school sweetheart and had just bought a house when he was killed.
The shooting came within a year of the Austin city council voting to cut its police budget by more than $100 million in the wake of the George Floyd protests — a decision many blamed for the spike in crime that followed.
Funding was returned a year later, but the department remained gutted by staffing shortages through 2023.
“Remember what goes around comes around in different ways,” Kantor wrote. “Look at the last photo. This is the animal you released on my son and the people of Texas without a thought.”
“You have killed and ruined thousands of lives and couldn’t care less as long as you stay in power. Just like the killer, you are ALL COWARDS. NONE OF YOU HAD THE GUTS TO SPEAK UP AND POINT OUT HOW STUPID AND DESTRUCTIVE THAT WAS. I’M SURE IF YOUR KIDS WERE BEING KILLED YOU WOULD FIND YOUR VOICE.”
Kantor’s surviving son, Nicklaus Kantor, told Fox News that his mother did not receive a response from the city council.
“I don’t think any of us have any delusions that one of these council members is going to be like, ‘Oh, we’re so sorry, we did it on purpose,'” he said. “You know, they’re not going to admit and take responsibility. But at least acknowledge the loss at the very least.”
Jury selection for the alleged killer, 20-year-old De’Ondre White, concluded Monday, and opening statements in the trial began Tuesday.
White pleaded not guilty.