TYLER, Texas —
Multiple police officers and investigators testified about the collection of evidence Wednesday in the trial of a man accused of killing a Tyler man at the entrance of a shopping center in December 2018.
The trial of Kristian Perdomo, 28, of Tyler, who entered a not guilty plea to murder Tuesday, continued Wednesday in the 114th District Court. Perdomo is charged in connection with the death of Bradley Brockman, 45, who was shot on Dec. 16, 2018 at the Westwood Shopping Center in Tyler.
Brockman was taken to a hospital for his injuries, but he later died. Perdomo was arrested soon after the shooting.
Bystanders recalled hearing a gunshot and seeing Brockman fall. Before the shooting, they saw a man wearing a hoodie and bandana get out of a silver car. That man then shot Brockman in the head, witnesses said.
Kim Rule, a former Tyler police officer, said she looked for the shooting suspect and she arrested Perdomo during a traffic stop. Perdomo was pulled over and arrested on Highway 64, near Loop 49.
Ethan Johnson, a Tyler police patrol supervisor, testified he and other officers were on the scene of the traffic stop looking for a gun but found a receipt for ammunition. He said they didn’t have a warrant at the time, but they did have probable cause for a search.
Inside the vehicle, officers found a receipt for .380 ammunition, a tablet and a cell phone.
Greg Williams, an officer with the Tyler Police Department, reviewed a gunshot residue report along with clothing that Perdomo was wearing. Williams said Perdomo’s hoodie, pants or shoes did not have blood or debris on them.
The officer said that that didn’t surprise him because of the distance and blood splatter can depend on the wound type.
While on the stand, Jamie Tarrant, a Tyler police crime scene investigator, reviewed photographs of the scene where Brockman's body was found at the shopping center. The photos included a pool of blood and a gray sweater.
Donald Malmstrom, former Tyler Police Department crime scene investigator, testified he found a firearm inside the car and bandana. He said fingerprinting and DNA testing was completed on the firearm, but the information could identify if Perdomo touched the gun.
Perdomo remains in the Smith County Jail since his December 2018 arrest on bonds totaling $2.25 million. In June 2020, Perdomo denied a plea agreement during a Zoom hearing.
Testimony will continue Thursday morning.
