Arlington police officer goes on trial for killing woman while trying to shoot dog
ARLINGTON, Texas - An Arlington Police Department detective who investigated the police shooting of a woman three years ago said the officer on trial for her killing her should not have fired his gun.
In August 2019, Officer Ravinder Singh was responding to a report of a woman who passed out in a grassy area near Collins Street and Lamar Boulevard in Arlington. His body camera recorded the shooting.
As Officer Singh approached, he repeatedly called to the woman. That’s when her dog started running toward him.
He opened fire three times. According to testimony, the dog was struck by at least one of the bullets. One of the bullets ricocheted and struck Margarita Brooks in the chest, and she died from her injuries.
Margarita Brooks
Singh sat quietly, without expression, during the second day of the trial.
The day began with a forensic expert walking the jury through how he perceived the shooting that killed Brooks. He described it as a "high risk" decision by the former police officer on trial that should have been handled differently.
Singh’s defense team has called it a tragic accident.
The state’s use of force expert testified it was to the contrary.
"I certainly can’t get through the mind of the officer. If the officer says he was in fear of his life from that dog, I’ve got to take that for fact," forensic expert Jonathyn Priest said. "But there are also other things running around in that head and that’s knowledge that there is a human being in the background, with, I’m about to do this thing."
Priest told the jury Singh could’ve chosen other options to deal with the charging dog, including using a Taser, mace, using a loud voice, or retreating.
Brooks was 30 years old, and her family said she battled personal challenges and often slept outdoors.
When a detective was asked what he'd do in the dog attack situation, he said he would "just kick it," not fire his weapon.
For the late afternoon portion of the trial, the lead Arlington police detective testified.
He was questioned about bullet trajectory and the surroundings of the shooting environment.
But most notably, he testified that he would not have not shot his gun because a bystander, the victim, was nearby.
[ATTORNEY: "Most vicious dog in the world coming at you, right now, about to attack and kill you. [A person is behind the dog]. How do you protect yourself? If that dog is about to attack you, how do you protect yourself?"]
"If I was faced in that situation, I would probably kick it," Arlington PD Detective Mac Simmons responded.
[ATTORNEY: "You are not going to shoot here?"]
"No," Simmons said.
[ATTORNEY: "Why not?"]
"Because there is somebody back there," Simmons replied.
The defense cross examined the detective about the timeline of the investigation and talked more about how every officer is different and the threat from the dog could have been different depending on the officer.
RELATED: Family of woman killed by Arlington officer in 2019 files lawsuit
On Tuesday, a paramedic who was behind Officer Singh the day of the shooting told jurors the officer immediately tried to stop the woman’s bleeding.
"I was doing rapid head to toe assessment of the patient trying to determine where her injuries were and what interventions were required. I was also, you saw, calling for additional resources. I was getting the rest of my team down there. I believe I advised dispatch what happened," Ashley Brandt said.
Officer Ravinder Singh
The paramedic also told jurors that Singh appeared to be in shock about what happened and that he looked horrified.
Singh resigned shortly after the shooting. He is charged with criminally negligent homicide and faces up to two years behind bars if convicted.
The third day of the trial resumes Thursday at 9 a.m. with the prosecution continuing to present its case.