Witnesses describe shooting at Uber; GSR testing on defendant returns no detectable particles

Judge Stephanie Boyd of the 187th District Court presided over testimony and evidence on Oct. 10, 2022, in the criminal case State of Texas v. Dominic Nicholson, in which Nicholson pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

In opening statements, the prosecutor told jurors that witnesses would identify the defendant as the person who fired toward an Uber occupied by then-18-year-old Jayla Satterwhite on Oct. 10, 2022. The prosecutor said jurors would hear from Satterwhite, family members, first responding officers and experts, and asked them to find Nicholson guilty after hearing all the evidence. "At the end of this trial and after you have heard all of the evidence in this case, we are going to ask you to find the defendant guilty for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon," the prosecutor said during opening remarks.

Satterwhite testified for the state. She described getting into an Uber, hearing two quick "pop" sounds and turning to see a man later identified in court as Dominic Nicholson standing at a nearby vehicle with a gun. "I was putting on my seat belts and that's when I heard, like, 2, like, pop sounds," Satterwhite testified. She said she saw the man raise his hand with what she described as "a maybe a pistol" and that he approached the Uber as she ducked onto the floorboard and urged the driver to leave. The Uber later developed a flat tire the parties attribute to a bullet strike.

Deputies and investigators described scene work and statements taken. Deputy Rayna Rodriguez of the Bexar County Sheriff's Office, who responded to 8619 Key Northway, testified she spoke to neighbors and occupants, separated potential witnesses for statements and later detained the defendant pending further investigation. Deputy Jason (Jay) Rodriguez and Deputy Jason Tibbs, a crime-scene technician, also testified about responding, photographing evidence and collecting a gunshot-residue kit from the defendant.

Forensic testimony addressed gunshot-residue (GSR) testing. Leslie Chaffee, identified in court as a forensic scientist who performed primer GSR testing, testified she examined the submitted GSR kit and did not detect any microscopic particles containing lead, barium or antimony — the elemental signature forensic labs use to identify primer residues. Chaffee said a negative result does not resolve whether someone discharged, handled, or was merely near a discharged firearm: "It is indeterminate if [the subject] discharged a firearm, handled a discharged firearm, or was in close proximity to a discharging firearm," she testified. She explained ordinary movement, hand washing or transfer can remove or prevent detection of GSR particles.

The state also said it will call ballistics and firearms experts (one witness identified as Pendleton) to address projectiles and matching of recovered evidence to weapons and to testify about residues found on the Uber and the damaged tire. Investigator Guzman (lead investigator) and other officers were described as conducting the follow-up investigation, including photographing the scene, collecting evidence and coordinating lab submissions.

Nicholson entered not guilty pleas to both counts when the charges were read in court. The court took testimony through the afternoon; the jury was excused for a short recess and the judge later instructed jurors they were not to discuss the case outside the courtroom. The court scheduled further proceedings and recalled jurors for the next session.

No verdict was reached during the hearing recorded in this transcript. The case remains pending.