State plays surveillance and patrol video as aggravated‑assault trial against Michael Brashear begins
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Summary
The jury heard opening statements and police testimony in the aggravated-assault case against Michael Brashear; prosecutors presented surveillance, patrol and body‑camera footage and officers testified that muzzle flashes appeared on video, that a handgun was thrown from the passenger side and that a firearm later recovered matched scene documentation.
The trial of the State of Texas v. Michael Keith Brashear Jr. began before the 252nd District Court with the jury sworn and an opening statement from the prosecutor outlining the state's theory that a bar fight at Sadie's Bar and Grill on May 31, 2023 led to shots being fired at the bar and later toward officers in the parking lot.
Prosecutor Coleman told jurors the state would show surveillance and patrol-car video and call witnesses to place the defendant in the passenger seat of a vehicle that fired shots. "This defendant fired shots in the direction of those officers," Coleman said while previewing surveillance and in‑car footage the state planned to show.
Keeley Campbell, a Sadie's employee, authenticated USB drives containing surveillance recordings (admitted as state exhibits 1–4) and the court allowed the jury to view selected surveillance clips displaying activity inside the bar and in the parking lot with timestamps showing the early-morning incident on May 31, 2023.
Officer Cade Carr testified he and his partner responded to a 'deadly conduct' dispatch, heard gunfire and observed a small vehicle leave the parking lot; Carr said he believed the shots were fired in the officers’ direction and that his patrol-car camera later captured a handgun being thrown from the passenger side of that vehicle. The state published patrol footage (admitted as state exhibit 9) that, according to officers, showed muzzle flashes and an object leaving the passenger window.
Officer Christopher Garnica corroborated the pursuit and stop, testified that officers recovered a firearm at the roadside near where the vehicle stopped and identified photographs of the recovered weapon (state exhibits 12–13). Garnica said the firearm's serial number matched the number he recorded in his report (ACH205371), and the court admitted the physical firearm into evidence as state exhibit 14 after resolving a defense objection about chain-of-custody.
Defense counsel objected at multiple points to portions of the state's video evidence under rules excluding unfairly prejudicial material and also flagged potential Miranda and interrogation concerns in transport‑video clips. The court overruled some objections, carved narrow exceptions where appropriate (allowing evidence of the bar fight for limited purposes such as intent and identity), and reserved review of additional transport footage and redactions at the end of the day.
Before adjourning for the afternoon the court excused the jury and instructed subpoenaed witnesses to return for the next session at 09:00 the following morning. The trial will resume with additional testimony and further review of transport footage the court has yet to screen.