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Prosecutors rest case in trial of man accused of killing Richardson officer
The jury listened to a recorded police interview that took place at the hospital hours after the suspect surrendered to Richardson police.
McKINNEY, Texas - Collin County prosecutors on Tuesday rested their case against the man on trial for murdering a Richardson police officer.
The state again took the jury inside the room where police say Brandon McCall shot and killed his friend, Rene Gamez and Richardson Police Officer David Sherrard.
Photos of the crime scene, along with the fallen officer's bullet riddled vest, sparked a strong response from those inside the courtroom.
The jury listened to a recorded police interview that took place at the hospital hours after McCall surrendered to Richardson police. Handcuffed on a hospital bed, McCall was read his Miranda rights by a Plano police detective -- twice. He agreed to speak to the detective.
McCall: I guess I shot at them. They come in all yelling… They broke in I shot at them … Cause I (expletive) wanted to.
Plano PD Detective: You killed a cop
McCall: Huh? No way
Plano PD Detective: Your friend [Gamez] died too
McCall: No, I was just shooting just to shoot. I wasn’t shooting at them.
McCall told the detective he accidentally shot Gamez in the calf with a shotgun as Gamez was walking out the door for work. He told the detective he didn’t call 911 because he didn’t have a cell phone.
Prior to the interview audio, the prosecution also showed the jury Sherrard’s bloody uniform shirt and body armor.
One bullet hit Sherrard’s body cam, penetrated his vest and went into his chest. The second bullet hit his mic and ricocheted into his neck, hitting an artery. The medical examiner called it “a fatal wound.”
The capital murder case has attracted a lot of public interest. On both days of testimony, folks lined up outside the courtroom for a limited number of tickets. Jim Dietz is a retired Collin County resident.
“I figured I’d take my chance and come up here to see how this system works in such a serious case,” Dietz said.
The defense will begin presenting its case on Wednesday morning.