Arlington officer had other options before fatally shooting woman, witness says

ARLINGTON, Texas - Ravinder Singh is charged with negligent homicide for Margarita Brooks' 2019 death.

During a welfare check, Singh's body camera video showed Brooks’ dog running towards Singh. He fired at the dog. A bullet hit Brooks in the chest. 

The former officer’s defense team is now putting on their case. But for the majority of the trial's third day, we heard from a detective who was one of those who trained Singh.

Detective Heath Cook was formerly with Arlington PD and has trained thousands of officers, including Singh, who’s now charged with negligent homicide. 

As a state witness, Cook addressed the use of force options other than an officer’s firearm.  

Arlington police officer goes on trial for killing woman while trying to shoot dog

In August 2019, former officer Singh was on a call to check on the welfare of 30-year-old Margarita Brooks, who was on the ground behind a business strip off North Collins Street.

Singh had a quick exchange with Brooks before he was met by a dog charging toward him. He fired at the dog, and one of the rounds ricocheted off of a surface, then struck and killed Brooks.

Cook was on the stand from Thursday morning until late afternoon. His testimony lasted hours for direct and cross-examination.

The defense is hoping to convince the jury that Singh had but a split second to thwart being mauled by the charging dog and that his action was reasonable to defend himself from harm.