Surveillance video of Burleson police officer's shooting played in court
JOHNSON COUNTY, Texas - On the second day of the capital murder trial of Jerry Elders, jurors in a Johnson County courtroom were shown video evidence of a Burleson officer being shot.
Police say Jerry Elders shot a Burleson police officer before carjacking and murdering 60-year-old Robin Waddell in 2021.
Elders looks very different from his arrest in 2021. He's much heavier now and is wearing a suit and tie in court.
He showed no emotion as he watched surveillance video that prosecutors say shows him shooting Burleson Police Officer Joshua Lott three times and then driving off on what prosecutors call a deadly crime spree.
Jurors heard from one of two passengers who were in Elders' SUV when he allegedly shot Lott.
"We went behind the Burleson High School, and the cop turned his lights on," said Jeremy Brewer.
Grainy surveillance video played in court Tuesday captured the violent encounter from a distance. You see Officer Lott approach the passenger side. He appears to jump back after being shot and then retreats behind his patrol car to radio for help.
Officer Lott took the stand on Monday.
"He poked his out of the window. He seemed to be kind of in a panicked state. I tried to get his attention, I knock on the window and I knocked three times, and he shot me three times," he said.
Lott was struck in his police vest and neck. The trio drove off but didn't get far.
"Car caught on fire. He drove into a ditch. We all took off on foot," said Brewer.
That launched a massive manhunt.
"Someone is screaming on the radio that they've been shot. It takes you a minute to just… what did I just hear?" said Burleson Police Lt. Charles Garrett.
Investigators believe shortly after Elders carjacked Waddell outside her home in Johnson County, stealing her silver pickup truck and taking her with him.
Prosecutors say this surveillance video shows the pickup truck swerve and crash into the gate of the Joshua Police Department after Waddell reportedly grabbed the steering wheel.
Elders allegedly panicked, shot Waddell twice, pushed her out of the truck and kept on driving.
She was found at the back door of the Joshua Police Department. She died from her injuries.
"I observed the back gate had been damaged and there appeared to have been blood in the parking lot," said Burleson Police Sergeant Ron Martin.
Elders was eventually captured in Gainesville, Texas.
The prosecution will continue presenting its case on Wednesday.
We're told the trial could last up to two weeks.
If Elders is found guilty he could face life in prison or the death penalty.
