LONGVIEW, Texas — A Texas Ranger on Thursday said Panola County Deputy Chris Dickerson was taken off guard when he was shot on Dec. 31, 2019 traffic stop, but the man accused of killing him was readily prepared to exit the vehicle and use his gun.
The trial for Gregory Newson, of Shreveport, Louisiana, who is charged with capital murder in Dickerson's death, continued Thursday. On Wednesday, he pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Texas Ranger Greg Wilson told the jury that Dickerson was at a disadvantage because it was around 2 a.m. and there were shadows casted by the police lights.
From watching the dash cam video, Dickerson had a calm demeanor and he was surprised as he didn’t know what was going to happen. Newson was readily prepared to exit the vehicle he was in and use the gun he had, Wilson testified.
Wilson started his investigation at the scene of where Newson crashed the vehicle he was driving in Shreveport near Interstate 20. Wilson said a bullet hole found on the car Newson was driving was consistent with Dickerson returning fire at the vehicle as it drove away.
He also said that he could tell that Newson reloaded his gun in between the time Dickerson was shot and Newson was arrested in Shreveport around 3 a.m.
The doctor who performed the autopsy on Dickerson testified he labeled four gunshot wounds on Dickerson's body. The doctor said he would not expect someone to survive the wounds Dickerson suffered.
A person who was shot in the way that Dickerson was would die within seconds to minutes, and they would need immediate medical treatment, the doctor said.
Eleanor Hare, DPS technical analyst in Austin, created a slowed-down version of the dash cam showing Dickerson head toward the vehicle, but before he could reach the driver’s side window, the driver came out and fired his rifle at Dickerson behind the car.
Texas Ranger Joshua Jenkins testified he found five shots were fired from Dickerson's gun and 16 shots were fired from the other gun at the traffic stop scene.
The state played Dickerson's body cam video as he conducted the traffic stop in which he was shot and killed. Jenkins testified that he and former Panola County Sheriff Sarah Fields both found it difficult to watch.
Newson was arrested an hour and eight minutes after Dickerson was shot during the traffic stop, Jenkins testified based on documentation.
Jenkins credited the quick timeline to Dickerson's diligence in reporting the vehicle's license plate to dispatch before he conducted the traffic stop. Jenkins also noted neighbor Danny Yelverton who used the radio to say Dickerson was shot and off-duty officer Robert Delconte later following Newson's vehicle.
Dr. Salman Rahim, who was working as a resident at a Shreveport hospital in December 2019, testified that he was a part of the team that treated Newson after the rollover wreck involving the Yukon.
Rahim testified there were puncture wounds on Newson's legs that appeared to be gunshot wounds. Newson also had a dog bite injury that Rahim considered a minor wound. Rahim said that Newson would've been able to run after the injuries that he was observed to have. Newson also tested positive for having the byproducts of marijuana in his system.
Testimony will resume at 8:30 a.m. Friday.
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