TYLER, Texas — Editor's note: This video is from July 2020.
A prosecutor on Tuesday called a man accused of killing a Tyler man, who was holding a sign asking for help at the entrance of a shopping center, in December 2018 a “cold-blooded killer.”
The trial of Kristian Perdomo, 28, of Tyler, who entered a not guilty plea to murder, began Tuesday 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.
Perdomo remains in the Smith County Jail since his December 2018 arrest. His bonds total $2.25 million.
In June 2020, Perdomo denied a plea agreement during a Zoom hearing.
At the time of Perdomo's arrest, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said Perdomo was likely involved in a string of shootings that also happened in December 2018.
Smith County Assistant District Attorney Noah Coltman told jurors in an opening statement that Brockman was asking for help near the entrance of the shopping center with a sign saying, “help me keep my kids dry.”
Coltman said a man wearing a hoodie and bandana, who he said was later identified as Perdomo, parked in the parking lot. The man approached Brockman with a gun and pulled the trigger. Brockman was shot in the back of the head.
Witnesses saw a man in black hoodie left in a car, and some followed the vehicle onto Highway 31 West while on the phone with 911. Because of the witnesses who followed him, the driver wasn’t able to get away that day, Coltman said.
After police found the vehicle and conducted a search, officers found ammunition in the vehicle matching the casings at the scene, Coltman told the jury.
“Kristian Perdomo is nothing more than a cold-blooded killer,” he said.
Amanda Cook, public safety administrator at Tyler Police Department, then took the stand as 911 calls from witnesses were played for the jury.
William Moore, a Tyler police officer at the time, was one of the first officers on scene and jurors were shown his body camera footage, in which he spoke with witnesses about what they saw.
The video shows witnesses talking to police and praying over Brockman. Bystanders recalled hearing a gunshot and seeing Brockman fall.
Moore testified the body camera video showed Brockman’s hat, fountain drink and sign asking for money or help next to a gun shell casing.
He reviewed the casing to see if it was similar to ammunition that was used in other crime investigations around that time.
Perdomo was later pulled over and arrested by Tyler police on Highway 64, near Loop 49. Inside the vehicle, officers found a receipt for .380 ammunition, a tablet and a cell phone.
During their investigation into Perdomo, police discovered he was a member of the Bloods street gang (a.k.a. Nortenos or North Side Bloods), according to documents.